CAUGHT

At the first signs of morning I reached higher land where the railroad left the trestle.

Leaving the track, I started off through a scattering growth of bushes, seeking an opportunity for a bath and for water to drink. While in the act of bathing, only a few minutes before the sun rose, two men came suddenly upon me, each armed with a double-barreled gun, and informed me that they were out quail-hunting. It is possible they were on the watch for me, as I learned later that my train made a stop about half a mile from where I left the swamp, which gave the guard an opportunity to inform the natives that there were stragglers about.

They questioned me pretty sharply, and I must have made some very uncertain replies, for our consultation ended in their taking me in charge. They conducted me to a building, in the midst of a little settlement, that seemed to be used as a carpenter's shop. They gave me all I wanted to eat,—fried egg-plant, hominy, and pork,—and a bed of shavings which was royal. I did not feel very bad over my recapture, so after eating my fill I fell asleep, and was only awakened by my captors about three o'clock in the afternoon in order to place me aboard the next train-load of prisoners, which they flagged for my special benefit. They very kindly gave me a parting ration of pork and hominy. I found several of my Andersonville acquaintances in the car upon which I was placed, and shared with them my generous allowance of pork and hominy. My full stomach and night's experience had roused my spirits wonderfully.

I reached Savannah only one day behind my proper train. Sometime in the night we were marched a short distance into an in-closure of high brick walls, which I soon learned was the jail yard of Savannah. Here I found the car-load of prisoners from which I had escaped, and regained my privileges and share of our mess of three.

At daylight the next morning the jail yard was eagerly explored, and among other things I discovered a small patch where there had been some Irish potatoes, evidently gathered several days before; but in carefully scratching over the loose sandy soil with sticks, in common with hundreds of other prisoners, I obtained six or seven small potatoes as large as walnuts, which were eagerly devoured raw. They relished better than anything I had eaten for four months, probably because I had begun to feel the creeping on of scurvy.

We remained in the Savannah jail yard four days. Personally I had enough to eat while there. The fifth day we again took box-cars for another jaunt at the expense of the Confederacy. The old story of " exchange " was told by our guard; and this time we moved towards the north, which made the story so plausible that none of us made any attempt to escape, though several good opportunities offered.

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