Where was he steering; and now, the course of his life was changed, what
kind of future must he make for himself?
Had it been in time of peace, he could have easily decided, as he had a
large amount of money in the North, which his father left him when he
came of age.
He would have no difficulty as to choosing the means of living; for he
was well supplied, as far as that was concerned; but here was a most
unpleasant dilemma in which he had placed himself.
Convinced that he was allied to the Negro race, his whole soul rose up
against the idea of laying one straw in its way; if he belonged to the
race he would not join its oppressors. And yet his whole sympathy had
been so completely with them, that he felt that he had no feeling in
common with the North.
And as to the colored people, of course it never entered his mind to
join their ranks, and ally himself to them; he had always regarded them
as inferior; and this sudden and unwelcome revelation had not changed
the whole tenor of his thoughts and opinions.
But what he had to do must be done quickly; for in less than three days
his company would start for the front. To desert was to face death; to
remain was to wed dishonor. He surveyed the situation calmly and
bravely, and then resolved that he would face the perils of re-capture
rather than the contempt of his own soul.
While he was deciding, he heard Camilla's step in the passage; he opened
the door, and beckoned her to a seat, and said, very calmly, "I have
been weighing the whole matter in my mind, and I have concluded to leave
the South."
"How can you do it?" said Camilla. "I tremble lest you should be
discovered. Oh slavery! what a curse. Our fathers sowed the wind, and we
are reaping the whirlwind! What," continued she, as if speaking to
herself, "What are your plans? Have you any?"
"None, except to disguise myself and escape."
"When?"
"As soon as possible."
"Suppose I call Miriam. She can help you. Shall I?"
"Yes."
Camilla called Miriam, and after a few moments consultation it was
decided that Louis should escape that night, and that Miriam should
prepare whatever was needed for his hasty flight.
"Don't trust your secret to any white person," said Miriam, "but if you
meet any of the colored people, just tell them that you is for the
Linkum soldiers, and it will be all right; we don't know all about this
war, but we feels somehow we's all mixed up in it."
And so with many prayers and blessings from Miriam, and sad farewells
from Camilla, he left his home to enter upon that perilous flight, the
whole current of his life changed.
It was in the early part of Winter; but the air was just as pleasant as
early Spring in that climate. Louis walked all that night, guiding
himself northward at night by the light of the stars and a little pocket
compass, Camilla had just given him before starting, and avoiding the
public roads during the day.
And thus he travelled for two days, when his lunch was exhausted, his
lips parched with thirst, and his strength began to fail.
Just in this hour of extremity he saw seated by the corner of a fence a
very black and homely-looking woman; there was something so gloomy and
sullen in her countenance that he felt repelled by its morose
expression. Still he needed food, and was very weary, and drawing near
he asked her if she would give him anything to eat.
"Ain't got nothing. De sojers done been here, and eat all up."
Louis drew near and whispered a few words in her ear, and immediately a
change passed over her whole countenance. The sullen expression turned
to a look of tenderness and concern. The harsh tones of her voice
actually grew mellow, and rising up in haste she almost sprang over the
fence, and said, "I'se been looking for you, if you's Northman you's
mighty welcome," and she set before him her humble store of provisions.
"Do you know," said Louis, "where I will find the Lincoln soldiers, or
where the secesh are encamped?"
"No," said she "but my old man's mighty smart, and he'll find out; you
come wid me."
Nothing doubting he went, and found the husband ready to do anything in
his power to help him.
"You's better not go any furder to-day. I'll get you a place to hide
where nobody can't find you, and then I'll pump Massa 'bout the sojers."
True to his word, he contrived to find out whether the soldiers were
near.
"Massa," said he, scratching his head, and looking quite sober, "Massa,
hadn't I better hide the mules? Oh I's 'fraid the Linkum sojers will
come take 'em, cause dey gobbles up ebery ting dey lays dere hans on,
jis like geese. I yerd dey was coming; mus' I hide de mules?"
"No, Sam, the scalawags are more than a hundred miles away; they are
near Natchez."
"Well, maybe, t'was our own Fedrate soldiers."
"No, Sam, our nearest soldiers are at Baton Rouge."
"All right Massa. I don't want to lose all dem fine mules."
As soon as it was convenient Sam gave Louis the desired information.
"Here," said Sam, when Louis was ready to start again, "is something to
break your fast, and if you goes dis way you musn't let de white folks
know what you's up to, but you trust dis," said he, laying his hand on
his own dark skin.
His new friend went with him several miles, and pointing him out the way
left him to pursue his journey onward. The next person he met with was a
colored man, who bowed and smiled, and took off his hat.
Louis returned the bow, and was passing on when he said, "Massa, 'scuse
me for speakin' to you, but dem secesh been hunting all day for a
'serter, him captin dey say."
Louis turned pale, but bracing his nerves he said, "Where are they?"
"Dey's in the house; is you he?"
"I am a Union man," Louis said, "and am trying to reach the Lincoln
soldiers."
"Den," said the man, "if dat am de fac I's got a place for you; come
with me," and Louis having learned to trust the colored people followed
him to a place of safety.
Soon it was noised abroad that another deserter had been seen in that
neighborhood, but the colored man would not reveal the whereabouts of
Louis. His master beat him severely, but he would let neither threats
nor torture wring the secret from his lips.
Louis saw the faithfulness of that man, and he thought with shame of his
former position to the race from whom such unswerving devotion could
spring. The hunt proving ineffectual, Louis after the search and
excitement had subsided resumed his journey Northward, meeting with
first one act of kindness and then another.
One day he had a narrow escape from the bloodhounds. He had trusted his
secret to a colored man who, faithful like the rest, was directing him
on his way when deep ominous sounds fell on their ears. The colored man
knew that sound too well; he knew something of the nature of
bloodhounds, and how to throw them off the track.
So hastily opening his pen-knife he cut his own feet so that the blood
from them might deepen the scent on one track, and throw them off from
Louis's path.
It was a brave deed, and nobly done, and Louis began to feel that he had
never known them, and then how vividly came into his mind the words of
Dr. Charming: "After all we may be trampling on one of the best branches
of the human race." Here were men and women too who had been trampled on
for ages ready to break to him their bread, aye share with him their
scanty store.
One had taken the shoes from his feet and almost forced him to take
them. What was it impelled these people? What was the Union to them,
and who were Lincoln's soldiers that they should be so ready to
gravitate to the Union army and bring the most reliable information to
the American General?
Was it not the hope of freedom which they were binding as amulets around
their hearts? They as a race had lived in a measure upon an idea; it was
the hope of a deliverance yet to come. Faith in God had underlain the
life of the race, and was it strange if when even some of our
politicians did not or could not read the signs of the times aright
these people with deeper intuitions understood the war better than they
did.
But at last Louis got beyond the borders of the confederacy, and stood
once more on free soil, appreciating that section as he had never done
before.