some of it, it will do you good. Have any of you got a bottle?" I had a small one which I had carried through the service, usually having it filled with brandy to use when some of my men gave out. He filled it. We were fed and he told us what to do; to go down the road and avoid all the houses which we would have to pass, some we must go well around, not leaving a track, others to go right past. At the last house near the bridge there would be a light, but to go right ahead. A poor man was dying there. When we crossed the river he told us to turn to the left, go about two miles, take the first road to the right, go to the first house, which was a blacksmith shop, and wait until morning. He said we need not be afraid, as there were no white people there; they had all left. "In the morning," he said, "when you see the first darkey, whistle and he will come to you. Tell him who you are and to take care of you through the day, and at night to take you to the high sheriff." "What do we want of the sheriff?" we asked. "He is just the man you want," was the reply. "He will take care of you, and if necessary will ride all day to find out something for you. He is allowed to be at home because he is a sheriff, but there isn't a better Union man." We went on, got through to the other shop all right, were cared for, put into the woods for the day. At night we started on with two colored men, who would take us to the sheriff. Neither of the men had been there, but the older one, who acted as our guide, thought he could find the way. We had not gone far when he stopped at a servant's house back of a plantation house, saying he wanted to go in there. He soon returned, saying they wanted us to come in. We hesitated, and he said it was all right; all were colored people except one minister and he was all right. We finally went in. The minister was a young-looking man who was allowed to remain at home because he was a clergyman. We endeavored to be respectful to him. He asked us: "What is the news?" Captain Starr replied: "We can't tell you. I have been a prisoner for a year and a half and we are not allowed to see the papers. You tell us the news." "I don't read the papers," was the reply. "I suppose you confine yourself to clerical reading," said Starr. "No, I never look at it," replied the man. "What do you read?" asked Starr. "Books," said the minister. The good man evidently did not know what "clerical" meant; but so far as we knew he was true to us and did not give us away.

After our guide had procured some information as to his route, we left. When outside he said to his comrade: "You go ahead and carefully look around a certain place two miles ahead; it is a bad place." He did so, met us and reported. We came to some woods and the guide said: "There is a path going through these woods leading to the road which goes to the sheriff. If we can find it, it will save us several miles." They hunted up and down the edge of the woods until they found the path. We then went through the woods, struck the road and went on until we came in sight of the sheriff's house, rather late in the evening. The dogs around the house were barking. The guide said: "You stop here while I go call him out and have the dogs taken in." He went forward and called out. A man appeared on the front porch and asked who was there. "A friend," was the reply. "Will you take the dogs in so that I can come in?" The dogs were called in. He went to the porch and soon came for us.