Isprangup—myheartinmymouth。Thelongdreadedtimehadarrived;theRebelshadopenedthemassacreinwhichtheymustexterminateus,orwethem。
Ilookedacrosstotheoppositebank,onwhichwerestandingtwelvethousandmen——erect,excited,defiant。IwassurethatatthenextshottheywouldsurgestraightagainsttheStockadelikeamightyhumanbillow,andthenacarnagewouldbeginthelikeofwhichmoderntimeshadneverseen。
Theexcitementandsuspensewereterrible。Wewaitedforwhatseemedagesforthenextgun。Itwasnotfired。OldWinderwasmerelyshowingtheprisonershowhecouldrallytheguardstoopposeanoutbreak。
Thoughthegunhadashellinit,itwasmerelyasignal,andtheguardscamedouble—quickingupbyregiments,goingintopositionintheriflepitsandthehand—grenadepiles。
Aswerealizedwhatthewholeaffairmeant,werelievedoursurchargedfeelingswithafewgeneralyellsofexecrationuponRebelsgenerally,anduponthosearoundusparticularly,andresumedouroccupationofcookingrations,killinglice,anddiscussingtheprospectsofexchangeandescape。
Therations,likeeverythingelseaboutus,hadsteadilygrownworse。
AbakerywasbuiltoutsideoftheStockadeinMayandourmealwasbakedthereintoloavesaboutthesizeofbrick。Eachofusgotahalfofoneoftheseforaday'sration。This,andoccasionallyasmallsliceofsaltpork,wascallthatIreceived。Iwishthereaderwouldpreparehimselfanobjectlessonastohowlittlelifecanbesupportedonforanylengthoftime,byprocuringapieceofcornbreadthesizeofanordinarybrickbat,andathinsliceofpork,andthenimaginehowhewouldfare,withthatashissoledailyration,forlonghungryweeksandmonths。DioLewissatisfiedhimselfthathecouldsustainlifeonsixtycents,aweek。IamsurethatthefoodfurnishedusbytheRebelswouldnot,atpresentpricescostone—thirdthat。Theypretendedtogiveusone—thirdofpoundofbaconandoneandone—fourthpoundsofcornmeal。
Aweek'srationsthenwouldbetwoandone—thirdpoundsofbacon——worthtencents,andeightandthree—fourthspoundsofmeal,worth,say,tencentsmore。Asamatteroffact,Idonotpresumethatatanytimewegotthisfullration。Itwouldsurprisemetolearnthatweaveragedtwo—thirdsofit。
Themealwasgroundverycoarseandproducedgreatirritioninthebowels。Weusedtohavethemostfrightfulcrampsthatmeneversufferedfrom。Thosewhowerepredisposedintestinalaffectionswerespeedilycarriedoffbyincurablediarrheaanddysentery。Ofthetwelvethousandandtwelvemenwhodied,fourthousanddiedofchronicdiarrhea;eighthundredandseventeendiedofacutediarrhea,andonethousandthreehundredandeighty—fourdiedofdysenteria,makingtotalofsixthousandtwohundredandonevictimstoentericdisorders。
Letthereaderreflectamomentuponthisnumber,tillcomprehendsfullyhowmanysixthousandtwohundredandmenare,andhowmuchforce,energy,training,andrichpossibilitiesforthegoodofthecommunityandcountrydiedwiththosesixthousandtwohundredandoneyoung,activemen。ItmayhelphisperceptionofthemagnitudeofthisnumbertorememberthatthetotallossoftheBritish,duringtheCrimeanwar,bydeathinallshapes,wasfourthousandfivehundredandninety—five,oronethousandsevenhundredandsixlessthanthedeathsinAndersonvillefromdysentericdiseasesalone。
Theloathsomemaggotfliesswarmedaboutthebakery,anddroppedintothetroughwherethedoughwasbeingmixed,sothatitwasraretogetarationofbreadnotcontaminatedwithafewofthem。
Itwasnotlonguntilthebakerybecameinadequatetosupplybreadforalltheprisoners。Thengreatironkettleswereset,andmushwasissuedtoanumberofdetachments,insteadofbread。Therewasnotsomuchcleanlinessandcareinpreparingthisasafarmershowsincookingfoodforstock。Adeepwagon—bedwouldbeshoveledfullofthesmokingpaste,whichwasthenhailedinsideandissuedouttothedetachments,thelatterreceivingitonblankets,piecesofsheltertents,or,lackingeventhese,uponthebaresand。
Asstillmoreprisonerscamein,neitherbreadnormushcouldbefurnishedthem,andapartofthedetachmentsreceivedtheirrationsinmeal。Earnestsolicitationatlengthresultedinhavingoccasionalscantyissuesofwoodtocookthiswith。Mydetachmentwasallowedtochoosewhichitwouldtake——bread,mushormeal。Ittookthelatter。
Cookingthemealwasthetopicofdailyinterest。Therewerethreewaysofdoingit:Bread,mushand"dumplings。"Inthelatterthemealwasdampeneduntilitwouldholdtogether,andwasrolledintolittleballs,thesizeofmarbles,whichwerethenboiled。Thebreadwasthemostsatisfactoryandnourishing;themushthebulkiest——itmadeabiggershow,butdidnotstaywithonesolong。Thedumplingsheldanintermediateposition——thewaterinwhichtheywereboiledbecomingasortofabroththathelpedtostaythestomach。Wereceivednosalt,asarule。Nooneknowstheintenselongingforthis,whenonegoeswithoutitforawhile。When,afteraprivationofweekswewouldgetateaspoonfulofsaltapiece,itseemedasifeverymuscleinourbodieswasinvigorated。Wetradedbuttonstotheguardsforredpeppers,andmadeourmush,orbread,ordumplings,hotwiththefiery—pods,inhopesthatthiswouldmakeupforthelackofsalt,butitwasafailure。
OnepinchofsaltwasworthallthepepperpodsintheSouthernConfederacy。Mylittlesquad——nowdiminishedbydeathfromfivetothree——cookedourrationstogethertoeconomizewoodandwasteofmeal,andquarreledamong,ourselvesdailyastowhetherthejointstockshouldbeconvertedintobread,mushordumplings。Thedecisiondependeduponthestateofthestomach。Ifveryhungry,wemademush;iflessfamished,dumplings;ifdisposedtoweighmatters,bread。
Thismayseematriflingmatter,butitwasfarfromit。Weallrememberthemanwhowasveryfondofwhitebeans,butafterhavingfiftyorsixtymealsoftheminsuccession,begantofindasuspicionofmonotonyintheprovender。Wehadnowsixmonthsofunvaryingdietofcornmealandwater,andevensoslightachangeasavariationinthewayofcombiningthetwowasanagreeablenovelty。
AttheendofJunethereweretwenty—sixthousandthreehundredandsixty—sevenprisonersintheStockade,andonethousandtwohundred——justfortyperday——haddiedduringthemonth。
CHAPTERXXXI
DYINGBYINCHES——SEITZ,THESLOW,ANDHISDEATH——STIGGALLANDEMERSON——
RAVAGESONTHESCURVY。
MayandJunemadesadhavocinthealreadythinranksofourbattalion。
Nearlyascorediedinmycompany——L——andtheothercompaniessufferedproportionately。Amongthefirsttodieofmycompanycomrades,wasageniallittleCorporal,"Billy"Phillips——whowasafavoritewithusall。
Everythingwasdoneforhimthatkindnesscouldsuggest,butitwasoflittleavail。Then"Bruno"Weeks——ayoungboy,thesonofapreacher,whohadrunawayfromhishomeinFultonCounty,Ohio,tojoinus,succumbedtohardshipandprivation。
Thenexttogowasgood—natured,harmlessVictorSeitz,aDetroitcigarmaker,aGerman,andoneoftheslowestofcreatedmortals。Howheevercametogointothecavalrywasbeyondthewildestsurmisesofhiscomrades。Whyhissupernaturalslownessandclumsinessdidnotresultinhisbeingkilledatleastonceaday,whileintheservice,wasevenstillfartherbeyondthepowerofconjecture。NoaccidenteverhappenedinthecompanythatSeitzdidnothavesomesharein。Didahorsefallonaslipperyroad,itwasalmostsuretobeSeitz's,andthatimportedsonoftheFatherlandwasequallysuretobecaughtunderhim。Didsomebodytumbleoverabankofadarknight,itwasSeitzthatwesoonheardmakinghiswayback,swearingindeepGermangutterals,withfrequentallusionto'tausendteuflin。'Didashantyblowdown,weranoverandpulledSeitzoutofthedebris,whenhewouldexclaim:
"Zo！dotvosprettyvunnynow,ain'tit？"
AndashesurveyedthesceneofhistroublewithtrueGermanphlegm,hewouldfishabrier—woodpipefromtherecessesofhispockets,fillitwithtobacco,andgoploddingoffinacloudofsmokeinsearchofsomefreshwaytonarrowlyescapedestruction。Hedidnotknowenoughabouthorsestoputasnaffle—bitinone'smouth,andyethewoulddrawthefriskiest,mostmettlesomeanimalinthecorral,uponwhosebackhewasscarcelymoreathomethanhewouldbeuponaslackrope。Itwasnouncommonthingtoseeahorsebreakoutofranks,andgopastthebattalionlikethewind,withpoorSeitzclingingtohismanelikethetraditionalgrimDeathtoadeceasedAfrican。WethenknewthatSeitzhadthoughtlesslysunkthekeenspurshewouldpersistinwearing;deepintotheflanksofhishigh—mettledanimal。
Theseaccidentsbecamesomuchamatter—of—coursethatwhenanythingunusualoccurredinthecompanyourfirstimpulsewastogoandhelpSeitzout。
Whenthebuglesounded"bootsandsaddles,"therestofuswouldpackup,mount,"countoffbyfoursfromtheright,"andbereadytomoveoutbeforethelastnotesofthecallhadfairlydiedaway。Justthenwewouldnoticeanunsaddledhorsestilltiedtothehitchingplace。ItwasSeitz's,andthatworthywouldbeseenapproaching,pipeinmouth,andbridleinhand,withcalm,equablesteps,asifanytimebeforetheexpirationofhisenlistmentwouldbesoonenoughtoaccomplishthesaddlingofhissteed。Achorusofimpatientandderisiveremarkswouldgoupfromhisimpatientcomrades:
"Forheaven'ssake,Seitz,hurryup！"
"Seitz！youarelikeacow'stail——alwaysbehind！"
"Seitz,youareslowerthanthesecondcomingoftheSavior！"
"Christmasisarailroadtrainalongsideofyou,Seitz！"
"Ifyouain'tonthathorseinhalfasecond,Seitz,we'llgooffandleaveyou,andtheJohnnieswillskinyoualive！"etc。,etc。
NotarippleofemotionwouldrolloverSeitz'splacidfeaturesunderthesharpestoftheseobjurgations。Atlast,losingallpatience,twoorthreeboyswoulddismount,runtoSeitz'shorse,pack,saddleandbridlehim,asifhewerestruckwithawhirlwind。ThenSeitzwouldmount,andwewouldmove'off。
Forallthis,welikedhim。Hisgoodnaturewasboundless,andhisdispositiontoobligeequaltotheseveresttest。Hedidnotlackagrainofhisfullshareofthecalm,steadfastcourageofhisrace,andwouldstaywherehewasput,thoughErebusyawnedandbadehimfly。
Hewasveryuseful,despitehisunfitnessformanyofthedutiesofacavalryman。Hewasagoodguard,andalwaysreadytotakechargeofprisoners,orbesentryaroundwagonsoraforagepile—dutiesthatmostoftheboyscordiallyhated。
ButhecameintothelasttroubleatAndersonville。HestoodupprettywellunderthehardshipsofBelleIsle,butlosthischeerfulness——hisunrepiningcalmness——afterafewweeksintheStockade。Onedaywerememberedthatnoneofushadseenhimforseveraldays,andwestartedinsearchofhim。Wefoundhiminadistantpartofthecamp,lyingneartheDeadLine。Hislongfairhairwasmattedtogether,hisblueeyeshadtheflushoffever。Everypartofhisclothingwasgraywiththelicethatwerehasteninghisdeathwiththeirtorments。HeutteredthefirstcomplaintIeverheardhimmake,asIcameuptohim:
"MyGott,M————,disisworsedunadog'sdet！"
Inafewdayswegavehimallthefuneralinourpower;tiedhisbigtoestogether,foldedhishandsacrosshisbreast,pinnedtohisshirtaslipofpaper,uponwhichwaswritten:
VICTORE。SEITZ,Co。L,SixteenthIllinoisCavalry。
AndlaidhisbodyattheSouthGate,besidesomescoresofothersthatwereawaitingthearrivalofthesix—mulewagonthathauledthemtothePotter'sField,whichwastobetheirlastresting—place。
JohnEmersonandJohnStiggall,ofmycompany,weretwoNorwegianboys,andfinespecimensoftheirrace——intelligent,faithful,andalwaysreadyforduty。TheyhadanaffectionforeachotherthatremindedoneofthestoriestoldoftheswornattachmentandtheunfailingdevotionthatwerecommonbetweentwoGothicwarrioryouths。ComingintoAndersonvillesomelittletimeaftertherestofus,theyfoundallthedesirablegroundtakenup,andtheyestablishedtheirquartersatthebaseofthehill,neartheSwamp。Theretheydugalittleholetoliein,andputinalayerofpineleaves。Betweenthemtheyhadanovercoatandablanket。
Atnighttheylayuponthecoatandcoveredthemselveswiththeblanket。
Bydaytheblanketservedasatent。Thehardshipsandannoyancesthatweenduredmadeeverybodyelsecrossandirritable。Attimesitseemedimpossibletosayorlistentopleasantwords,andnobodywaseverallowedtogoanylengthoftimespoilingforafight。Hecouldusuallybeaccommodateduponthespottoanyextenthedesired,bysimplymakinghiswishesknown。Eventhebestofchumswouldhavesharpquarrelsandbriskfights,andthisdispositionincreasedasdiseasemadegreaterinroadsuponthem。Isawinoneinstancetwobrothers—bothofwhomdiedthenextdayofscurvy——andwhoweresohelplessastobeunabletorise,pullthemselvesupontheirkneesbyclenchingthepolesoftheirtents——
inordertostrikeeachotherwithclubs,andtheykeptstrikinguntilthebystandersinterferedandtooktheirweaponsawayfromthem。
ButStiggallandEmersonneverquarreledwitheachother。Theirtendernessandaffectionwereremarkabletowitness。Theybegantogothewaythatsomanyweregoing;diarrheaandscurvysetin;theywastedawaytilltheirmusclesandtissuesalmostdisappeared,leavingtheskinlyingfiatuponthebones;buttheirprincipalsolicitudewasforeachother,andeachseemedactuallyjealousofanypersonelsedoinganythingfortheother。ImetEmersononeday,withonelegdrawnclearoutofshape,andrenderedalmostuselessbythescurvy。Hewasveryweak,butwashobblingdowntowardstheCreekwithabucketmadefromabootleg。
Isaid:
"Johnny,justgivemeyourbucket。I'llfillitforyou,andbringituptoyourtent。"
"No;muchobliged,M————"hewheezedout;"mypardnerwantsacooldrink,andIguessI'dbettergetitforhim。"
StiggalldiedinJune。Hewasoneofthefirstvictimsofscurvy,which,inthesucceedingfewweeks,carriedoffsomany。Allofuswhohadreadsea—storieshadreadmuchofthisdiseaseanditshorrors,butwehadlittleconceptionofthedreadfulreality。Itusuallymanifesteditselffirstinthemouth。Thebreathbecameunbearablyfetid;thegumsswelleduntiltheyprotruded,lividanddisgusting,beyondthelips。Theteethbecamesoloosethattheyfrequentlyfellout,andthesuffererwouldpickthemupandsetthembackintheirsockets。Inattemptingtobitethehardcornbreadfurnishedbythebakerytheteethoftenstuckfastandwerepulledout。Thegumshadafashionofbreakingaway,inlargechunks,whichwouldbeswallowedorspitout。Allthetimeonewaseatinghismouthwouldbefilledwithblood,fragmentsofgumsandloosenedteeth。
Frightful,malignantulcersappearedinotherpartsofthebody;theever—presentmaggotflieslaideggsinthese,andsoonwormsswarmedtherein。Thesuffererlookedandfeltasif,thoughheyetlivedandmoved,hisbodywasanticipatingtherottingitwouldundergoalittlelaterinthegrave。
Thelastchangewasusheredinbythelowerpartsofthelegsswelling。
Whenthisappeared,weconsideredthemandoomed。Weallhadscurvy,moreorless,butaslongasitkeptoutofourlegswewerehopeful。
First,theanklejointsswelled,thenthefootbecameuseless。Theswellingincreaseduntilthekneesbecamestiff,andtheskinfromthesedownwasdistendeduntilitlookedpale,colorlessandtransparentasatightlyblownbladder。Thelegwassomuchlargeratthebottomthanatthethigh,thatthesufferersusedtomakegrimjokesaboutbeingmodeledlikeachurn,"withthebiggestenddown。"Themanthenbecameutterlyhelplessandusuallydiedinashorttime。
Theofficialreportputsdownthenumberofdeathsfromscurvyatthreethousandfivehundredandseventy—four,butDr。Jones,theRebelsurgeon,reportedtotheRebelGovernmenthisbeliefthatnine—tenthsofthegreatmortalityoftheprisonwasdue,eitherdirectlyorindirectly,tothiscause。
TheonlyeffortmadebytheRebeldoctorstocheckitsravageswasoccasionallytogiveahandfulofsumachberriestosomeparticularlybadcase。
WhenStiggalldiedwethoughtEmersonwouldcertainlyfollowhiminadayortwo,but,tooursurprise,helingeredalonguntilAugustbeforedying。
CHAPTERXXXII
"OLEBOO,"AND"OLESOL,THEHAYMAKER"——AFETID,BURNINGDESERT——NOISOME
WATER,ANDTHEEFFECTSOFDRINKINGIT——STEALINGSOFTSOAP。
ThegraduallylengtheningSummerdayswereinsufferablylongandwearisome。Eachwashotter,longerandmoretediousthanitspredecessors。Inmycompanywasanone—too—brightfellow,namedDawson。
Duringthechillyrainsorthenipping,windsofourfirstdaysinprison,Dawsonwould,asherosein,themorning,surveytheforbiddingskieswithlack—lustereyesandremark,oracularly:
"Well,OleBoogitsusagin,to—day。"
Hewassounvaryinginthissalutationtothemornthathisdesignationofdisagreeableweatheras"OleBoo"becamegenerallyadoptedbyus。
Whenthehotweathercameon,Dawson'sremark,uponrisingandseeingexcellentprospectsforascorcher,changedto:"Well,OleSol,theHaymaker,isgoingtogitinhisworkonusaginto—day。"
Aslongashelivedandwasabletotalk,thiswasDawson'sinvariableobservationatthebreakofday。
Hewasquiteright。TheOleHaymakerwoulddosomefamousworkbeforehedescendedintheWest,sendinghislevelraysthroughthewideintersticesbetweenthesomberpines。
Bynineo'clockinthemorninghisbeamswouldbegintofairlysingeeverythinginthecrowdedpen。ThehotsandwouldglowasoneseesitinthecenteroftheunshadedhighwaysomescorchingnooninAugust。Thehighwallsoftheprisonpreventedthecirculationinsideofanybreezethatmightbeinmotion,whilethefoulstenchrisingfromtheputridSwampandtherottinggroundseemedtoreachtheskies。
Onecanreadilycomprehendthehorrorsofdeathontheburningsandsofadesert。Butthedesertsandisatleastclean;thereisnothingworseaboutitthanheatandintensedryness。Itisnot,asthatwasatAndersonville,poisonedwiththeexcretionsofthousandsofsickanddyingmen,filledwithdisgustingvermin,andloadingtheairwiththegermsofdeath。Thedifferenceisasthatbetweenabrick—kilnandasewer。ShouldthefateseverdecidethatIshallbeflungoutuponsandstoperish,IbegthatthehottestplaceintheSaharamaybeselected,ratherthansuchaspotastheinterioroftheAndersonvilleStockade。
Itmaybesaidthatwehadanabundanceofwater,whichmadeadecidedimprovementonadesert。Doubtless——hadthatwaterbeenpure。Buteverymouthfulofitwasabloodpoison,andhelpedpromotediseaseanddeath。
EvenbeforereachingtheStockadeitwassopollutedbythedrainageoftheRebelcampsastobeutterlyunfitforhumanuse。Inourpartoftheprisonwesankseveralwells——someasdeepasfortyfeet——toprocurewater。Wehadnoothertoolsforthisthanourever—faithfulhalfcanteens,andnothingwherewithtowallthewells。Butafirmclaywasreachedafewfeetbelowthesurface,whichaffordedtolerablestrongsidesforthelowerpart,anafurnishedmaterialtomakeadobebricksforcurbstokeepoutthesandoftheupperpart。Thesideswerecontinuallygivingaway,however,andfellowswereperpetuallyfallingdowntheholes,tothegreatdamageoftheirlegsandarms。Thewater,whichwasdrawnupinlittlecans,orbootlegbuckets,bystringsmadeofstripsofcloth,wasmuchbetterthanthatofthecreek,butwasstillfarfrompure,asitcontainedtheseepagefromthefilthyground。
Theintenseheatledmentodrinkgreatquantitiesofwater,andthissuperinducedmalignantdropsicalcomplaints,which,nexttodiarrhea,scurvyandgangrene,weretheailmentsmostactiveincarryingmenoff。
Thoseaffectedinthiswayswelledupfrightfullyfromdaytoday。Theirclothesspeedilybecametoosmallforthem,andwererippedoff,leavingthementirelynaked,andtheysufferedintenselyuntildeathatlastcametotheirrelief。Amongthoseofmysquadwhodiedinthisway,wasayoungmannamedBaxter,oftheFifthIndianaCavalry,takenatChicamauga。Hewasveryfinelooking——tall,slender,withregularfeaturesandintenselyblackhairandeyes;hesangnicely,andwasgenerallyliked。Amorepitiableobjectthanhe,whenlastIsawhim,justbeforehisdeath,cannotbeimagined。Hisbodyhadswollenuntilitseemedmarvelousthatthehumanskincouldbearsomuchdistentionwithoutdisruption,Alltheoldlookofbrightintelligencehadbeen。
drivenfromhisfacebythedistortionofhisfeatures。Hisswarthyhairandbeard,grownlongandragged,hadthatpeculiarrepulsivelookwhichtheblackhairofthesickispronetoassume。
Iattributedmuchofmyfreedomfromthediseasestowhichotherssuccumbedtoabstentionfromwaterdrinking。LongbeforeIenteredthearmy,Ihadconstructedatheory——onpremisesthatweredoubtlessasinsufficientasthosethatboyishtheoriesareusuallybasedupon——thatdrinkingwaterwasahabit,andaperniciousone,whichsappedawaytheenergy。Itooksometroubletocurbmyappetiteforwater,andsoonfoundthatIgotalongverycomfortablywithoutdrinkinganythingbeyondthatwhichwascontainedinmyfood。Ifollowedthisupafterenteringthearmy,drinkingnothingatanytimebutalittlecoffee,andfindingnoneed,evenonthedustiestmarches,foranythingmore。IdonotpresumethatinayearIdrankaquartofcoldwater。Experienceseemedtoconfirmmyviews,forInoticedthatthefirsttosinkunderafatigue,ortoyieldtosickness,werethosewhowerealwaysonthelookoutfordrinkingwater,springingfromtheirhorsesandstrugglingaroundeverywellorspringonthelineofmarchforanopportunitytofilltheircanteens。
ImadeliberaluseoftheCreekforbathingpurposes,however,visitingitfourorfivetimesa,dayduringthehotdays,towashmyselfallover。Thisdidnotcooloneoffmuch,fortheshallowstreamwasnearlyashotasthesand,butitseemedtodosomegood,andithelpedpassawaythetedioushours。Thestreamwasnearlyallthetimefilledasfullofbathersastheycouldstand,andthewatercoulddolittletowardscleansingsomany。Theoccasionalrainstormsthatsweptacrosstheprisonwerewelcomed,notonlybecausetheycooledtheairtemporarily,butbecausetheygaveusashower—bath。Astheycameup,nearlyeveryonestrippednakedandgotoutwherehecouldenjoythefullbenefitofthefallingwater。Fancy,ifpossible,thespectacleoftwenty—fivethousandorthirtythousandmenwithoutastitchofclothinguponthem。Thelikehasnotbeenseen,Iimagine,sincethenakedfollowersofBoadiceagatheredinforcetodobattletotheRomaninvaders。
Itwasimpossibletogetreallyclean。Ourbodiesseemedcoveredwithavarnish—like,gummymatterthatdefiedremovalbywateralone。
Iimaginedthatitcamefromtherosinorturpentine,arisingfromthelittlepitchpinefiresoverwhichwehoveredwhencookingourrations。
Itwouldyieldtonothingexceptstrongsoap—andsoap,asIhavebeforestated——wasnearlyasscarceintheSouthernConfederacyassalt。Weinprisonsawevenlessofit,orrather,noneatall。Thescarcityofit,andourdesireforit,recallsabitofpersonalexperience。
Ihadsteadfastlyrefusedalloffersofpositionsoutsidetheprisononparole,as,likethegreatmajorityoftheprisoners,myhatredoftheRebelsgrewmorebitter,daybyday;IfeltasifIwouldratherdiethanacceptthesmallestfavorattheirhands,andIsharedthecommoncontemptforthosewhodid。But,whenthemovementforagrandattackontheStockade——mentionedinapreviouschapter——wasapparentlyrapidlycomingtoahead,Iwasofferedatemporarydetailoutsideto,assistinmakingupsomerolls。Iresolvedtoaccept;firstbecauseIthoughtI
mightgetsomeinformationthatwouldbeofuseinourenterprise;and,next,becauseIforesawthattherushthroughthegapsintheStockadewouldbebloodybusiness,andbygoingoutinadvanceIwouldavoidthatmuchofthedanger,andstillbeabletogiveeffectiveassistance。
IwastakenuptoWirz'soffice。HewaswritingatadeskatoneendofalargeroomwhentheSergeantbroughtmein。Heturnedaround,toldtheSergeanttoleaveme,andorderedmetositdownuponaboxattheotherendoftheroom。
Turninghisbackandresuminghiswriting,inafewminuteshehadforgottenme。Isatquietly,takinginthedetailsforahalf—hour,andthen,havingexhaustedeverythingelseintheroom,IbeganwonderingwhatwasinthebogIwassittingupon。Thelidwasloose;IhitcheditforwardalittlewithoutattractingWirz'sattention,andslippedmylefthanddownofavoyageofdiscovery。ItseemedverylikelythattherewassomethingtherethataloyalYankeedeservedbetterthanaRebel。
Ifoundthatitwasafinearticleofsoftsoap。Ahandfulwasscoopedupandspeedilyshovedintomyleftpantaloonpocket。ExpectingeveryinstantthatWirzwouldturnaroundandordermetocometothedesktoshowmyhandwriting,hastilyandfurtivelywipedmyhandonthebackofmyshirtandwatchedWirzwithasinnocentanexpressionasaschoolboyassumeswhenhehasjustflippedachewedpaperwadacrosstheroom。
Wirzwasstillengrossedinhiswriting,anddidnotlookaround。Iwasemboldenedtoreachdownforanotherhandful。Thiswasalsosuccessfullytransferred,thehandwipedoffonthebackoftheshirt,andthefaceworeitsexpressionofinfantileingenuousness。StillWirzdidnotlookup。Ikeptdippinguphandfulafterhandful,untilIhadgottenaboutaquartinthelefthandpocket。AftereachhandfulIrubbedmyhandoffonthebackofmyshirtandwaitedaninstantforasummonstothedesk。
Thentheprocesswasrepeatedwiththeotherhand,andaquartofthesaponaceousmushwaspackedintherighthandpocketShortlyafterWirzroseandorderedaguardtotakemeawayandkeepme,untilhedecidedwhattodowithme。Thedaywasintenselyhot,andsoonthesoapinmypocketsandonthebackofmyshirtbeganburninglikedoublestrengthSpanishflyblisters。Therewasnothingtodobutgrinandbearit。Isetmyteeth,squatteddownundertheshadeoftheparapetofthefort,andstooditsilentlyandsullenly。ForthefirsttimeinmylifeIthoroughlyappreciatedthestoryoftheSpartanboy,whostolethefoxandsufferedtheanimaltotearhisbowelsoutratherthangiveasignwhichwouldleadtotheexposureofhistheft。
Betweenfourandfiveo'clock—afterIhadenduredthethingforfiveorsixhours,aguardcamewithordersfromWirzthatIshouldbereturnedtotheStockade。Uponhastilyremovingmyclothes,aftercominginside,IfoundIhadablisteroneachthigh,andonedownmyback,thatwouldhavedelightedanoldpractitioneroftheheroicschool。ButIalsohadahalfgallonofexcellentsoftsoap。MychumsandItookamagnificentwash,andgaveourclothesthesame,andwestillhadsoapenoughlefttobarterforsomeonionsthatwehadlongcoveted,andwhichtastedassweettousasmannatotheIsraelites。
CHAPTERXXXIII
"POURPASSERLETEMPS"——ASETOFCHESSMENPROCUREDUNDERDIFFICULTIES——
RELIGIOUSSERVICES——THEDEVOTEDPRIEST——WARSONG。
Thetimemovedwithleadenfeet。Dothebestwecould,therewereverymanytiresomehoursforwhichnooccupationwhatevercouldbefound。
Allthatwasnecessarytobedoneduringtheday——attendingrollcall,drawingandcookingrations,killingliceandwashing——couldbedisposedofinanhour'stime,andwewereleftwithfifteenorsixteenwakinghours,forwhichtherewasabsolutelynoemployment。Verymanytriedtoescapeboththeheatandennuibysleepingasmuchaspossiblethroughtheday,butInoticedthatthosewhodidthissoondied,andconsequentlyIdidnotdoit。Cardplayinghadsufficedtopassawaythehoursatfirst,butourcardssoonworeout,anddeprivedusofthisresource。Mychum,Andrews,andIconstructedasetofchessmenwithaninfinitedealoftrouble。Wefoundasoft,whiterootintheswampwhichansweredourpurpose。Aboynearushadatolerablysharppocket—knife,fortheuseofwhichacoupleofhourseachday,wegaveafewspoonfulsofmeal。Theknifewastheonlyoneamongalargenumberofprisoners,astheRebelguardshadanaffectionforthatstyleofcutlery,whichledthemtosearchincomingprisoners,veryclosely。Thefortunateownerofthisderivedquitealittleincomeofmealbyshrewdlyloaningittohisknifelesscomrades。Theshapesthatwemadeforpiecesandpawnswerenecessarilyveryrude,buttheyweresufficientlydistinctforidentification。Weblackenedonesetwithpitchpinesoot,foundapieceofplankthatwouldanswerforaboardandpurchaseditfromitspossessorforpartofarationofmeal,andsowerefittedoutwithwhatserveduntilourreleasetodistractourattentionfrommuchofthesurroundingmisery。
Everyoneelseprocuredsuchamusementastheycould。Newcomers,whostillhadmoneyandcards,gambledaslongastheirmeanslasted。Thosewhohadbooksreadthemuntiltheleavesfellapart。Thosewhohadpaperandpenandinktriedtowritedescriptionsandkeepjournals,butthiswasusuallygivenupafterbeinginprisonafewweeks。Iwasfortunateenoughtoknowaboywhohadbroughtacopyof"Gray'sAnatomy"intoprisonwithhim。Iwasnotspeciallyinterestedinthesubject,butitwasHobson'schoice;Icouldreadanatomyornothing,andsoItackleditwithsuchgoodwillthatbeforemyfriendbecamesickandwastakenoutside,andhisbookwithhim,Ihadobtainedaveryfairknowledgeoftherudimentsofphysiology。