When awakened by the cold, my watch told me that it was three o'clock. Running to and fro in the thicket until my blood was warmed, I resumed my position behind the log, and slept until daylight was gleaming through the forest.
A Most Fortunate Encounter.
Walking back to the creek, I reconnoitered a log dwelling, so small and humble that its occupant was probably loyal. In a few minutes, through the early dawn, an old man, with a sack of corn upon his shoulder, came out of the house. He evinced no surprise at seeing me. Looking earnestly into his eyes, I asked him:
"Are you a Union man or a Secessionist?" He replied:
"I don't know who you are; but I am a Union man, and always have been."
"I am a stranger and in trouble. I charge you to tell me the truth."
"I do tell you the truth, and I have two sons in the United States army."
His manner appeared sincere, and he carried a letter of recommendation in his open, honest face. I told him my awkward predicament. He reassured me at once.
"I know Dan Ellis as well as my own brother. No truer man ever lived. What route was he going to take?"