第65章

Let us find out the name of the street before we separate, for we may miss our way and not be able to meet again."Passing up into the busy streets, Vincent presently stopped and purchased a paper of a newsboy who was running along shouting, "News from the war.Defeat of the rebels.Fight in a railway car near Nashville; a minister punishes a border ruffian.""Confound those newspaper fellows!" Vincent muttered to himself as he walked away."They pick up every scrap of news.I suppose a reporter got hold of some one who was in the car." Turning down a quiet street, he opened the paper and by the light of the lamp read a graphic and minute account of the struggle in the train.

"I won't go back to the hotel," he said to himself."I shall be having reporters to interview me.I shall be expected to give them a history of my whole life; where I was born, and where I went to school, and whether I prefer beef to mutton, and whether I drink beer, and a thousand other things.No; the sooner I am away the better.As to the hotel, I have only had one meal, and they have got the bag with what clothes there are; that will pay them well."Accordingly when he rejoined Dan he told him that they would start at once.

"It is the best way, anyhow," he said."To-morrow, no doubt, the fellow I had the row with will be watching the hotel to see which way I go off, but after once seeing me go to the hotel he will not guess that I shall be starting this evening.What have you got left, Dan?""I got two dollars, sah.""That makes us quite rich men.We will stop at the first shop we come to and lay in a stock of bread and a pound or two of ham.""And a bottle of rum, sah.Berry wet and cold sleeping out of doors now, sah.Want a little comfort anyhow.""Very well, Dan; I think we can afford that.""Get one for half a dollar, massa.Could not lay out half a dollar better."Half an hour later they had left Nashville behind them, and were tramping along the road toward the east, Dari carrying a bundle in which the provisions were wrapped, and the neck of the bottle of rum sticking out of his pocket.As soon as they were well in the country Vincent changed his clothes for those Dan had just bought him, and making the others up into a bundle continued his way.

"Why you not leave dem black clothes behind, sah? What good take dem wid you?""I am not going to carry them far, Dan.The first wood or thick clump of bushes we come to I shall hide them away; but if you were to leave them here they would be found the first thing in the morning, and perhaps be carried into the town and handed over to the police, and they might put that and the fact of my not having returned to the hotel-which is sure to be talked about-together, and come to the conclusion that either Mullens was right and that I was an escaped Confederate, or that I had been murdered by Mullens.

In either case they might get up a search, and perhaps send telegrams to the troops in the towns beyond us.Anyhow, it's best the clothes should not be found."All night they tramped along, pausing only for half an hour about midnight, when Dan suggested that as he had only had some bread to eat-and not too much of that-during the last forty-eight hours, he thought that he could do with some supper.Accordingly the bundle was opened, and they sat down and partook of a hearty meal.Dan had wisely taken the precaution of having the cork drawn from the bottle when he bought it, replacing it so that it could be easily extracted when required, and Vincent acknowledged that the spirit was a not unwelcome addition to the meal.When morning broke they had reached Duck's River, a broad stream crossing the road.

Here they drew aside into a thick grove, and determined to get a few hours' sleep before proceeding.It was nearly midday before they woke and proceeded to the edge of the trees.Vincent reconnoitered the position.

"It is just as well we did not try to cross, Dan.I see the tents of at least a regiment on the other bank.No doubt they are stationed there to guard the road and railway bridge.This part of the country is pretty equally divided in opinion, though more of the people are for the South than for the North; but I know there are guerrilla parties on both sides moving about, and if a Confederate band was to pounce down on these bridges and destroy them it would cut the communication with their army in front, and put them in a very ugly position if they were defeated.No doubt that's why they have stationed that regiment there.Anyhow, it makes it awkward for us.We should be sure to be questioned where we are going, and as I know nothing whatever of the geography of the place we should find it very difficult to satisfy them.We must cross the river somewhere else.There are sure to be some boats somewhere along the banks; at any rate, the first thing to do is to move further away from the road."They walked for two or three miles across the country.The fields for the most part were deserted, and although here and there they saw cultivated patches, it was evident that most of the inhabitants had quitted that part of the country, which had been the scene of almost continued fighting from the commencement of the war; the sufferings of the inhabitants being greatly heightened by the bands of marauders who moved about plundering and destroying under the pretense of punishing those whom they considered hostile to the cause in whose favor-nominally, at least-they had enrolled themselves.The sight of ruined farms and burned houses roused Vincent's indignation; for in Virginia private property had, up to the time of Pope's assuming command of the army, been respected, and this phase of civil war was new and very painful to him.

"It would he a good thing," he said to Dan, "if the generals on both sides in this district would agree to a month's truce, and join each other in hunting down and hanging these marauding scoundrels.