"I belong to the Yankees!" I replied, placing my hand on my revolver, as if to draw it.
My movements agitated him. Raising his hands in a supplicating attitude, as if he thought I meant to kill him, he said, "D—don't shoot! hold—hold on! don't lets you and I quarrel; let us help each other, since we are both in the same business."
"Very well! just as you say about that."
"You played off the spy pretty well the other day when you was with us," he continued, somewhat composed.
"Yes, I did well enough for that time; but I am in a hurry this time, so you and I must make short visits."
At that, we both mounted and started in opposite directions, eyeing each other, with revolvers drawn, until out of sight. I might have shot him at the time he thought I intended to do it, but I did not think my own safety would admit of it.
At 5 o'clock that afternoon I arrived at General Leggett's head-quarters, and reported what I had learned, and before daylight the next morning the brigade was on its way to Bolivar, and it had not been gone an hour until General Van Dorn's forces were in possession of the place.
The movement on the part of General Leggett was a masterly one, and was conducted with such skill that, though pursued by a force chagrined with disappointment, which several times outnumbered his entire command, his brigade reached Bolivar without the loss of a single man or a dollar's worth of stores.
Shortly after our arrival at Bolivar, I was in town, accompanied by Sergeant Wonders, of the 20th Ohio. Hitched in front of one of the stores was the same little Texan pony and peculiar saddle that I had seen twice before. I knew that I could not be mistaken in them. I did not like the idea of his running at large. An encounter with him in the enemy's camp would prove fatal, so I resolved to find him and have him arrested. After searching for some time, without success, I returned to where I had seen the pony, and found that it was gone. From a soldier I learned that somebody had ridden the pony out toward the depot. I followed after, and when about half way to the depot, I saw the pony coming. I sent the Sergeant back and told him to see where the man went, and I would join him after awhile. Just before we met, he halted and commenced to fasten his pony. Stepping up to him and speaking very low, I said, "Hallo, old fellow! are you in here?"
"Yes, h—h—how d—do you do?" he said, trembling from head to foot.