Page:The woman in battle .djvu/415

Rh I assured him that I was pleased beyond measure, and came to the conclusion that it would be my fault if long before we reached Memphis I did not stand so well in his good graces that I would be able to make a most useful ally of him in carrying out my plans for the benefit of the Confederacy.

"Do you see that field over there?" said he, pointing to a good sized clearing. "That's where our boys had a fight with Forrest."

"Did you run fast? "I asked, rather maliciously. "We had to run," said he; "they were too many for us."

"O, what a pity," said I; "you ought to have whipped them;" and thought, at the same time, that there would be some more hard running done if I ever succeeded in getting to Forrest the despatch I had for him.

"We'll whip them yet," said the lieutenant. "We've had some big successes lately in Virginia, Missouri, and Arkansas, and we'd treat them worse than we do here if we only had a few more men."

"Why," said I, "there seems to be a great many of you." "O, there's not half enough to do anything. They've got us scattered along this railroad in such a way that it's almost as much as we can do to hold our own, when any kind of a crowd of rebs puts in an appearance."

This was interesting; but I did not think it prudent just then to question him any closer on such a delicate subject, trusting that before we parted he would let out, of his own accord, some other facts worth knowing; so 1 merely said, "O, this war is a terrible thing. It makes me sick to think of so many being killed and wounded."

"That's so," he replied. " It is bad, but now we've begun it, I guess we'll have to fight it out."

"What do you think they will do with that miserable fellow, Davis, if they catch him ? " said I.

"Well, I'm for hanging Jeff, and all his cabinet. We'll just string up the leaders, and let the little people go, if they will promise to behave themselves."

This made my blood boil ; but I controlled my feelings, and remarked, "O, I don't believe they will hang him. They've got to catch him first, you know ; and then the government at Washington is disposed to be lenient, isn't it?"