The old man and old woman took to their heels, and the next moment was heard the sound of many voices and the tramp of many feet.
"Secesh, by hokey!" cried Sergeant Swords, leaping from his perch with a gobbler's neck in each hand. "Git up and git!" and all made a rapid exit, leaving poor Diggs still perched on the rafters, bewildered and confused. In their haste they left the dark lantern in the barn with the slides open, by the side of the old woman's lantern, which she had dropped in her haste.
"Oh, Lordy, I shall be killed; I know I shall," wailed poor Diggs, frozen to his perch by his terror.
Bang! bang! bang! went a dozen shots, their blaze lighting up the intense darkness. It came from the new arrivals firing at the flying soldiers, who were rapidly retreating with their prizes. Tom Scott lost a thumb by a random shot, but he did not lose either of the two turkeys he had started with.
"Who were they, Seth?" Diggs heard a voice outside ask.
"I don't know; abolition soldiers, probably, stealing chickens," replied another voice.
Diggs thought he had heard both voices before, but in his terror he was not sure.
"Guess they got no chickens," said a third voice, and Diggs could hear the speaker ramming a load down his gun.
"Let's take a look in the barn," said the first speaker. "Halloa! if they ain't left their lanterns burning; left in a hurry, I guess."
The blood fairly froze in the veins of our friend Diggs, as he heard several steps approaching the barn door. Flight was now impossible, if it had not been before.