I went all around the place, and back close to the timber were two negro shanties. I stepped up to one and knocked.
"Come in, sir."
I walked in. There were eight or nine negroes sitting around, from a little baby to an old, white-haired man. The old man raised up and said:
"How do you do, sir; will you sit down on this bench?"
"No, thank you; I have no time to sit down. I would like to know if there are any confederate soldiers camped around here."
"No, sir; dar am no soldiers camped around dis place, and habn't been for two weeks, and da was Union soldiers dat was here two weeks ago."
"I suppose your master is a Union man, isn't he?"
"No, sir; I is sorry to say that he is the hardest kind of a rebel. His two boys are in de rebel army; and, sir, as soon as he found out that you were here, he made me go let the dogs loose. Dem dogs cost my master five hundred dollars. Dey was de best bloodhounds in dis part of the country."
"Well, sir, I'm very much obliged for your information," and turned to go.
"Hold on, mister. For de Lord's sake, don't tell master dat I tole you anything!"