Who Goes There?. B. K. Benson
fust a-comin' down de road?"
"The nearest to us in this direction," said I, pointing.
"Dey is 'bout half a mile up dis road," said Nick.
"Did you see them?"
"I seed 'em fo' true, but dey didn't see me."
"How did you keep them from seeing you?"
"I tuck to do bushes; ef dey see me, dey string me up."
"How long ago was it since you saw them?"
"Sence sundown," said Nick,
"When did you leave the breastworks?"
"Las' night."
"And you have been a whole day and night getting here?"
"In de daytime I laid up," said Nick; "caze I dunno w'en I might strak up wid 'em."
"How far have you come in all?"
"'Bout 'leben or ten mile, I reckon. I laid up in de Jim Riber swamp all day."
"Did you have anything to eat?"
"Yassa; but I ain't got nothin' now no mo'."
"Do you know where we can get anything to eat to-morrow?"
"Dat I don't; how is we a-gwine to hole out widout sum'hm to eat?"
"We must risk it. I hope we shall not suffer."
"Dis country ain't got nothin' in it," said Nick; "de folks is almos' all done gone to Richmon' er summers[1] en' I don't know w'at we's a-gwine to do; I don't. I don't know w'at we's a-gwine to do fer sum'hm to eat. And I don't know w'at I's a-gwine to do fer 'bacco nudda."
[1] Somewhere [Ed.].
"Well, Nick, I can give you a little more tobacco; but I expect you to find something to eat; if you can find it, I will pay for it."
We were wasting time; I wanted to make a start.
"Now, Nick" said I; "I want to go to Young's Mill, or as near it as I can get without being seen."
"Dat all you want to do?" asked Nick.
"No; I want to do that first; then I want to see the breastworks. First, I want to go to Young's Mill."
"W'ich Young's Mill?" asked Nick; "dey is two of 'em."
"Two?"
"Yassa; one Young's Mill is by de chu'ch on de Worrick road; de yudda one is de ole Young's Mill fudda down on de creek."
"I want the one on the Warwick road," said I.
"Den dat's all right," said Nick; "all you got to do is to keep dis straight road."
"But we must not show ourselves," said I.
"Don't you fret about dat; I don't want nobody to see me nudda; des' you follow me."
Nick left the road, I following. We went northeast for half a mile, then northwest for a mile or more, and found ourselves in the road again.
"Now we's done got aroun' 'em," said Nick; "we's done got aroun' de fust ones; we's done got aroun' 'em; dis is twicet I's done got aroun' 'em, 'en w'en I come back I's got to git aroun' 'em agin."
"How far is it to Young's Mill, Nick?"
"I 'spec' hit's 'bout fo' mile," said Nick.
We were now within the rebel lines, and my capture might mean death. We went on, always keeping out of the road. Nick led the way at a rapid and long stride, and I had difficulty in keeping him in sight. The night was getting cold, but the walk heated me. Here and there were dense clumps of small trees; at the little watercourses there was larger growth. The roar of the sea was heard no longer. It must have been about midnight.
We came upon swampy ground; just beyond it a road crossed ours.
"Stop a little, Nick," said I.
Nick came to a halt, and we talked in low tones; we could see a hundred yards in every direction.
"Where does that road go?" I asked.
"Dat road," said Nick, pointing to the left; "hit goes to ole Young's Mill."
"How far is old Young's Mill?"
"I dunno ezackly; I reckon 'bout fo' mile."
"Where does the right-hand lead?"
"Hit goes to Mis Cheeseman's," said Nick; "en' at Mis Cheeseman's dey is calvry, on' at ole Young's Mill dey is calvry, but dey is on de yudda side o' de creek."
"How far is it to Mrs. Cheeseman's?"
"I dunno ezackly; I reckon 'bout fo' mile."
We went on. The ground was again swampy. We came to a road running almost west; a church stood on the other side of the road.
"Dat's Danby Chu'ch," said Nick, "en' dat road hit goes to Worrick."
"And where does the right-hand lead?"
"Hit goes to Mis Cheeseman's," said Nick.
"And where is Young's Mill?" I asked.
"Hit's right on dis same road we's on, en not fur off, nudda."
We had now almost reached my first objective. I knew that Nick was telling me the truth, in the main, for the plan of the map was still before my mind's eye.
"Can we get around Young's Mill without being seen?" I asked.
"Dey's a picket-line dis side," said Nick.
"How far this side?"
"'Bout a quauta' en' a ha'f a quata.'"
"How near can we get to the picket-line?"
"We kin git mos' up to 'em, caze dey's got de trees cut down."
"The trees cut down in their front?"
"Yassa; dey's got mos' all de trees out down, so dey is."
"And we can get to this edge of the felled timber?"
"Yassa; we kin git to de falled timba', but we's got to go roun' de pon'."
"And if we go around the pond first; we shall then find the picket-line?"
"De picket-line at Young's Mill?"
"Yes."
"Ef we gits roun' de pon', we'll be done got roun' de picket-line, en' de trees w'at dey cut down, en' Young's Mill, en' all."
"Well, then, Nick, lead the way around the pond, and keep your eyes wide open."
Nick went forward again, but more slowly for a while; then he turned to the right, through the woods. We went a long distance and crossed a creek on a fallen log. I found that this negro could see in the darkness a great deal better than I could; where I should have groped my way, had I been alone, he went boldly enough, putting his foot down flat as though he could see where he was stepping. Nick said that there were no soldiers in these woods and swamps; they were all on the road and at Young's Mill, now a mile at our left.
At length we reached the road again. By this time I was very tired; but, not wanting to confess it, I said to Nick that we should wait by the side of the road for a while, to see if any soldiers should pass. We sat in the bushes; soon Nick was on his back, asleep, and I was not sorry to see him go to sleep so quickly, for I felt sure that he would not have done so if he had meant to betray me.
I kept awake. Only once did I see anything alarming. A single horseman came down the road at a leisurely trot, and passed on, his sabre rattling by his side. When the sound of the horse's hoofs had died away, I aroused Nick, and we continued west up the road. At last Nick stopped.