"Hi, Miss Salome, look dar," whispered Ned suddenly.
We had been driving for some time at full speed when Ned's low tones
roused me from an imaginary conversation with the Captain.
"Where?" I asked.
"Over dar," he returned, pointing toward his left, around the curve we
were just making.
A short distance ahead, in an open space between the road and the heavy
timber beyond, I saw the light of camp fires and a few moving figures
showing dark against the glow, while a dark mass at one side looked like
horses and wagons.
Telling Ned to drive over toward them and ask the way to General Dare's
headquarters, as soon as we came abreast of the nearest groups, I
scanned the surroundings, anxiously trying to determine what we had run
into. I had not expected to meet any Confederates for two or three miles
yet. But I knew it could not be any of our own troops, for we were too
near the Rebels for that. As we approached closer I saw several officers
in gray grouped around a fire and about a dozen men cooking supper at
other fires a little apart and nearer us. It looked like a topographical
camp or something of that sort.
One of the men, who seemed to be doing a sort of picket duty, and
broiling a bit of bacon on the end of his ramrod at the same time,
started up as soon as he saw us driving up and demanded what we wanted.
Ned told him we were trying to get to General Dare's headquarters and
asked where they were, but before he had time to reply one of the
officers advanced toward us, and Ned repeated his question to him.
Before answering the officer asked us a number of questions as to where
we were going and where we were from, eyeing us keenly all the time,
then drew off a little ways to confer with one of the other officers.
They were near enough for me to catch most of their conversation.
"It's all right, I believe," said the one who had been talking to us,
"or they would want to go the other way."
"Only a feint most probably," replied the last comer and older of the
two. "They may be spies and, as soon as they are out of sight, whirl off
in another direction. There really does not seem to be anything very
suspicious about them I must say," he added; "still it might be wise to
detain them here until morning."
"I think they are just what they say they are," returned the first
officer.
Just as I was wondering if it would not be best to make a run and leave
them to decide at their leisure whether or not we were spies, one of
the men passing, called out:
"Hello, Ned," and stopped.
Ned gave something between a grin and a gasp in return. Then, stooping
over as if to untangle the reins, he whispered barely loud enough for me
to hear: "It's Mars Furbish. He lived ober dar at E----, and knowed Miss
Salome."
I caught the clue the quick-witted old negro had given me, and leaning
forward, addressed a polite "Good evening, Mr. Furbish," to the man I
had never seen before. He pulled off his cap in return.
"I am very anxious to get on without delay," I added. "Will you kindly
tell those gentlemen who I am? I think you can assure them I am not a
spy."
His action had been noticed by the officers, and as I spoke, they called
him over to them.
"Do you know that lady!" I heard them ask.
"Yes, and the nigger too. It's Miss Salome Poillon, and she lives at
S---- plantation, across the river," was the answer.
"Then she is a resident here, and there is no danger of their being
spies?" put in the cautious one.
"Lord, no! Why, she's the biggest Rebel 'round. So's all the family, an'
she's got a Rebel lover," replied my champion emphatically, adding the
last fact as if it were a clincher.
That settled it, and the two officers then came over to the carriage and
told me I was at liberty to go on, and regretted that they had been
obliged to stop me at all. I thanked them, and asked if I would have
much difficulty in getting through.
"I am afraid so," replied the one who had first met me.
"This is your most direct route, is it not?" asked the older officer, on
whom the rest of the conversation devolved.
"It is much the nearest way," I replied.
"It leads directly on, near where a considerable body of our troops
are, yet I think it will be safer for you to keep it than to try side
roads, where you would be constantly stopped. I will give you a note to
the general in command, and a pass, which will aid you until you reach
him. He will likely give you an escort for some distance," he added,
writing as he spoke.
When he handed me the papers, I asked him about the positions of the
Yankees, and in answering he told me also something new about how Luce's
army was located, which was one of the clues that I wanted to learn.
I had no idea of using the papers unless I should fail in all efforts to
find Captain DeLacy. I told Ned not to refer to them in any way or to
our encounter, while he should be separated from me, and impressed on
him that he was not to get out of the buggy if he could help it, or
leave the horses one moment unless dragged away by force. I regretted
that we had run into the camp, for it took valuable time, and it did not
make me feel any better about it to know that it had happened through my
own carelessness. If I had been watching out, as I ought to have been, I
would have noticed the fires in time to have avoided them by making a
detour, and I believed that I could have gotten later the valuable bit
of information the talkative officer had given me.