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296 terprise as that upon which I was now starting, and that the correct plan was to strike directly for headquarters, with a plausible story to tell, rather than to attempt to slip past the pickets and run the risk of being detected, and of being compelled to give an account of myself, under suspicion of being upon some objectionable errand. Until actually within the Federal lines, however, I would be, so to speak, between two fires, and would stand a chance of being used quite as roughly by my friends as by the enemy; and it was important, there fore, for me to make the distance I had to go as quickly as I could, and yet to avoid appearing in too much of a hurry, in case any one should happen to see me. I judged that I would be able to pass the Confederate lines without any very great trouble, as I was not able to note any picket posts in the vicinity of the house which had so conveniently been left standing by its owners, with everything in it that I wanted for the particular errand I was on. But I knew that it would not do to rely too much on appearances in such a situation as this, and that I was liable to have an individual armed with musket or sabre put in an appearance at any moment, and demand to know who I was, and what I was prowling about there for. The dangers attending the enterprise, however, gave it a certain pleasurable excitement, such as it otherwise would not have had, and I enjoyed it, after a fashion, immensely even more than I did the excitement of a battle. In a battle, a single combatant, no matter how valorous he may be, is lost in the crowd; and as his individuality is, in a large measure, merged in that of his regiment or brigade, so the dependence of the issue upon single, personal effort is something that it is difficult to appreciate. In attempting such a bit of work, however, as I now had on hand, my own personality necessarily asserted itself in the strongest manner. The plan of action was mine; its execution depended upon myself; mine alone was the peril; and should I succeed in accomplishing my first point, in gaining the Federal lines in safety, the prosecution of my enterprise would be a contest of wits between myself and those with whom I was brought in contact, and from whom I expected to gain the information I was after. For these reasons I found a keener enjoyment in the performance of spy duty than I did in doing the work of a soldier; and, although I would not have missed, on any account, the experience I underwent during the first two years of the