intoa"detachment。"ThedetachmentswerenumberedinorderfromtheNorthGate,andthesquadswerenumbered"one,two,three。"Ontherollsthiswasstatedaftertheman'sname。Forinstance,achumofmine,andinthesamesquadwithme,wasCharlesL。Soule,oftheThirdMichiganInfantry。Hisnameappearedontherolls:
　　"Chas。L。Soule,priv。Co。E,8dMich。Inf。,1—2。"
　　Thatis,hebelongedtotheSecondSquadoftheFirstDetachment。
　　WhereWirzgothis,preposterousideaoforganizationfromhasalwaysbeenamysterytome。Itwasawkwardineveryway——indrawingrations,counting,dividingintomesses,etc。
　　Wirzwasnotlongingivingusatasteofhisquality。Thenextmorningafterhisfirstappearancehecameinwhenroll—callwassounded,andorderedallthesquadsanddetachmentstoform,andremainstandinginranksuntilallwerecounted。Anysoldierwillsaythatthereisnodutymoreannoyinganddifficultthanstandingstillinranksforanyconsiderablelengthoftime,especiallywhenthereisnothingtodoortoengagetheattention。IttookWirzbetweentwoandthreehourstocountthewholecamp,andbythattimeweofthefirstdetachmentswerealmostalloutofranks。ThereuponWirzannouncedthatnorationswouldbeissuedtothecampthatday。"Theorderstostandinrankswererepeatedthenextmorning,withawarningthatafailuretoobeywouldbepunishedasthatofthepreviousdayhadbeen。Thoughweweresohungry,that,tousethewordsofaThirty—FifthPennsylvanianstandingnexttome——his"bigintestineswereeatinghislittleonesup,"itwasimpossibletokeeptherankformationduringthelonghours。Onemanafteranotherstraggledaway,andagainwelostourrations。Thatafternoonwebecamedesperate。Plotswereconsideredforadaringassaulttoforcethegatesorscalethestockade。Themenwerecrazyenoughtoattemptanythingratherthansitdownandpatientlystarve。Manyofferedthemselvesasleadersinanyattemptthatitmightbethoughtbesttomake。Thehopelessnessofanysuchventurewasapparent,eventofamishedmen,andthepropositionswentnofartherthaninflammatorytalk。
　　Thethirdmorningtheorderswereagainrepeated。ThistimewesucceededinremaininginranksinsuchamannerastosatisfyWirz,andweweregivenourrationsforthatday,butthoseoftheotherdayswerepermanentlywithheld。
　　ThatafternoonWirzventuredintocampalone。Hevasassailedwithastormofcursesandexecrations,andashowerofclubs。Hepulledouthisrevolver,asiftofireuponhisassailants。Ayellwasraisedtotakehispistolawayfromhimandacrowdrushedforwardtodothis。
　　Withoutwaitingtofireashot,heturnedandrantothegatefordearlife。Hedidnotcomeinagainforalongwhile,andneverafterwardwithoutaretinueofguards。
　　CHAPTERXX。
　　PRIZE—FIGHTAMONGTHEN'YAARKERS——AGREATMANYFORMALITIES,ANDLITTLE
　　BLOODSPILT——AFUTILEATTEMPTTORECOVERAWATCH——DEFEATOFTHELAWAND
　　ORDERPARTY。
　　Oneofthetrain—loadsfromRichmondwasalmostwhollymadeupofouroldacquaintances——theN'Yaarkers。Thenumberofthesehadswelledtofourhundredorfivehundred——allleaguedtogetherinthefellowshipofcrime。
　　Wedidnotmanifestanykeendesireforintimatesocialrelationswiththem,andtheydidnotseemtohungerforoursociety,sotheymovedacrossthecreektotheunoccupiedSouthSide,andestablishedtheircampthere,ataconsiderabledistancefromus。
　　Oneafternoonanumberofuswentacrosstotheircamp,towitnessafightaccordingtotherulesofthePrizeRing,whichwastocomeoffbetweentwoprofessionalpugilists。Thesewereacoupleofbounty—
　　jumperswhohadsomelittlereputationinNewYorksportingcircles,underthenamesofthe"StaleybridgeChicken"andthe"HaarlemInfant。"
　　OnthewayfromRichmondacast—ironskillet,orspider,hadbeenstolenbythecrowdfromtheRebels。Itwasasmallaffair,holdingahalfgallon,andworthto—dayaboutfiftycents。InAndersonvilleitsworthwasliterallyaboverubies。Twomenbelongingtodifferentmesseseachclaimedtheownershipoftheutensil,onthegroundofbeingmostactiveinsecuringit。Theirclaimswerestrenuouslysupportedbytheirrespectivemesses,attheheadsofwhichweretheaforesaidInfantandChicken。Agreatdealofstrongtalk,andseveralindecisiveknock—downsresultedinanagreementtosettlethematterbywagerofbattlebetweentheInfantandChicken。
　　Whenwearrivedatwenty—fourfootringhadbeenpreparedbydrawingadeepmarkinthesand。Indiagonallyoppositecornersofthesethesecondswerekneelingononekneeandsupportingtheirprincipalsontheotherbytheirsidestheyhadlittlevesselsofwater,andbundlesofragstoanswerforsponges。Anothercornerwasoccupiedbytheumpire,afoul—mouthed,loud—tonguedTombsshyster,namedPeteBradley。Along—
　　bodied,short—leggedhoodlum,nick—named"Heenan,"armedwithaclub,actedasringkeeper,and"belted"back,remorselessly,anyofthespectatorswhocrowdedovertheline。Didheseeafootobtrudingitselfsomuchasaninchoverthemarkinthesand——andthepressurefromthecrowdbehindwassogreatthatitwasdifficultforthefrontfellowstokeepofftheline——hisheavyclubandablastingcursewouldfallupontheoffendersimultaneously。
　　Everyeffortwasmadetohaveallthingsconformasnearlyaspossibletotherecognizedpracticesofthe"LondonPrizeRing。"
　　AtBradley'scallof"Time！"theprincipalswouldrisefromtheirseconds'knees,advancebrisklytothescratchacrossthecenterofthering,andsparawaysharplyforalittletime,untilonegotinablowthatsenttheothertotheground,wherehewouldlieuntilhissecondpickedhimup,carriedhimback,washedhisfaceoff,andgavehimadrink。Hethenresteduntilthenextcalloftime。
　　Thissortofperformancewentonforanhourormore,withtheknockdownsandothercasualitiesprettyevenlydividedbetweenthetwo。ThenitbecameapparentthattheInfantwasgettingmorethanhehadstorageroomfor。Hisinterestintheskilletwasevidentlyabating,theleeringgrinheworeuponhisfaceduringtheearlypartoftheengagementhaddisappearedlongago,asthesuccessive"hotones"whichtheChickenhadsucceededinplantinguponhismouth,putitoutofhispowerto"smileandsmile,""e'enthoughhemightstillbeavillain。"Hebegancominguptothescratchassluggishlyasahiredmanstartingoutforhisday'swork,andfinallyhedidnotcomeupatall。Abunchofbloodsoakedragswastossedintotheairfromhiscorner,andBradleydeclaredtheChickentobethevictor,amidenthusiasticcheersfromthecrowd。
　　Wevotedthethingrathertame。Inthewholehouranda—halftherewasnotsomuchsavagefighting,notsomuchdamagedone,asacoupleofearnest,butunscientificmen,whohavenotimetowaste,willfrequentlycrowdintoanimpromptuaffairnotexceedingfiveminutesinduration。
　　OurnextvisittotheN'Yaarkerswasonadifferenterrand。Themomenttheyarrivedincampwebegantobeannoyedbytheirdepredations。
　　Blankets——thesoleprotectionofmen——wouldbesnatchedoffastheysleptatnight。Articlesofclothingandcookingutensilswouldgothesameway,andoccasionallyamanwouldberobbedinopendaylight。Allthese,itwasbelieved,withgoodreason,weretheworkoftheN'Yaarkers,andthestolenthingswereconveyedtotheircamp。Occasionallydepredatorswouldbecaughtandbeaten,buttheywouldgiveasignalwhichwouldbringtotheirassistancethewholebodyofN'Yaarkers,andturnthetablesontheirassailants。
　　WehadinoursquadalittlewatchmakernamedDanMartin,oftheEighthNewYorkInfantry。Otherboyslethimtaketheirwatchestotinkerup,soastomakeashowofrunning,andbeavailablefortradingtotheguards。
　　OnedayMartinwasatthecreek,whenaN'Yaarkeraskedhimtolethimlookatawatch。Martinincautiouslydidso,whentheN'Yaarkersnatcheditandspedawaytothecampofhiscrowd。Martinranbacktousandtoldhisstory。Thiswasthelastfeatherwhichwastobreakthecamel'sbackofourpatience。PeterBates,oftheThirdMichigan,theSergeantofoursquad,hadconsiderableconfidenceinhismuscularability。
　　Heflamedupintomightywrath,andsworeasulphurousoaththatwewouldgetthatwatchback,whereuponabouttwohundredofusavowedourwillingnesstohelpreclaimit。
　　Eachofusprovidingourselveswithaclub,westartedonourerrand。
　　Therestofthecamp——aboutfourthousand——gatheredonthehillsidetowatchus。Wethoughttheymighthavesentussomeassistance,asitwasaboutasmuchtheirfightasours,buttheydidnot,andweweretooproudtoaskit。Thecrossingoftheswampwasquitedifficult。Onlyonecouldgooveratatime,andheveryslowly。TheN'Yaarkersunderstoodthattroublewaspending,andtheybeganmusteringtoreceiveus。Fromthewaytheyturnedoutitwasevidentthatweshouldhavecomeoverwiththreehundredinsteadoftwohundred,butitwastoolatethentoaltertheprogram。AswecameupastalwartIrishmansteppedoutandaskeduswhatwewanted。
　　Batesreplied:"Wehavecomeovertogetawatchthatoneofyourfellowstookfromoneofours,andby———we'regoingtohaveit。"
　　TheIrishman'sreplywasequallyexplicitthoughnotstrictlylogicalinconstruction。Saidhe:"Wehavn'tgotyourwatch,andbeyecan'thaveit。"
　　ThisjoinedtheissuejustasfairlyasifithadbeendonebyallthedocumentaryformulathatpassedbetweenTurkeyandRussiapriortothelatewar。BatesandtheIrishmanthenexchangedveryderogatoryopinionsofeachother,andbeganstrikingwiththeirclubs。Therestofustookthisasourcue,andeach,selectingassmallaN'Yaarkeraswecouldreadilyfind,sailedin。
　　ThereisaveryexpressivebitofslangcomingintogeneraluseintheWest,whichspeaksofaman"bitingoffmorethanhecanchew。"
　　Thatiswhatwehaddone。Wehadtakenacontractthatweshouldhavedivided,andsub—letthebiggerhalf。Twominutesaftertheengagementbecamegeneraltherewasnodoubtthatwewouldhavebeenmuchbetteroffifwehadstaidonourownsideofthecreek。Thewatchwasaverypoorone,anyhow。WethoughtwewouldjustsaygooddaytoourN'Yaarkfriends,andreturnhomehastily。Buttheydeclinedtobeleftsoprecipitately。Theywantedtostaywithusawhile。Itwaslotsoffunforthem,andforthe,fourthousandyellingspectatorsontheoppositehill,whoweregreatlyenjoyingourdiscomfiture。Therewashardlyenoughoftheamusementtogocleararound,however,anditallfellshortjustbeforeitreachedus。WeearnestlywishedthatsomeoftheboyswouldcomeoverandhelpusletgooftheN'Yaarkers,buttheywereenjoyingthethingtoomuchtointerfere。
　　Weweredrivendownthehill,pell—mell,withtheN'Yaarkerspursuinghotlywithyellandblow。Attheswampwetriedtomakeastandtosecureourpassageacross,butitwasonlypartiallysuccessful。Veryfewgotbackwithoutsomeseverehurts,andmanyreceivedblowsthatgreatlyhastenedtheirdeaths。
　　AfterthistheN'Yaarkersbecamebolderintheirrobberies,andmorearrogantintheirdemeanorthanever,andwehadthepoorrevengeuponthosewhowouldnotassistus,ofseeingareignofterrorinauguratedoverthewholecamp。
　　CHAPTERXXI
　　DIMINISHINGRATIONS——ADEADLYCOLDRAIN——HOVERINGOVERPITCHPINEFIRES
　　——INCREASEONMORTALITY——ATHEORYOFHEALTH。
　　Therationsdiminishedperceptiblydaybyday。Whenwefirstenteredweeachreceivedsomethingoveraquartoftolerablygoodmeal,asweetpotato,apieceofmeataboutthesizeofone'stwofingers,andoccasionallyaspoonfulofsalt。Firstthesaltdisappeared。Thenthesweetpotatotookuntoitselfwingsandflewaway,nevertoreturn。
　　Anattemptwasostensiblymadetoissueuscow—peasinstead,andthefirstissuewasonlyaquarttoadetachmentoftwohundredandseventymen。Thishastwo—thirdsofapinttoeachsquadofninety,andmadebutafewspoonfulsforeachofthefourmessesinthesquad。Whenitcametodividingamongthemen,thebeanshadtobecounted。Nobodyreceivedenoughtopayforcooking,andwewereatalosswhattodountilsomebodysuggestedthatweplaypokerforthem。Thismetgeneralacceptance,andafterthat,aslongasbeansweredrawn,alargeportionofthedaywasspentinabsorbinggamesof"bluff"and"draw,"atabean"ante,"andno"limit。"
　　Afteranumberofhours'diligentplaying,someluckyorskillfulplayerwouldbeinpossessionofallthebeansinamess,asquad,andsometimesadetachment,andhaveenoughforagoodmeal。
　　Nextthemealbegantodiminishinquantityanddeteriorateinquality。
　　Itbecamesoexceedinglycoarsethatthecommonremarkwasthatthenextstepwouldbetobringusthecornintheshock,andfeedittouslikestock。Thenmeatfollowedsuitwiththerest。Therationsdecreasedinsize,andthenumberofdaysthatwedidnotgetany,keptconstantlyincreasinginproportiontothedaysthatwedid,untileventuallythemeatbadeusafinaladieu,andjoinedthesweetpotatointhatundiscoveredcountryfromwhosebournenorationeverreturned。
　　Thefuelandbuildingmaterialinthestockadewerespeedilyexhausted。
　　Thelatercomershadnothingwhatevertobuildshelterwith。
　　But,aftertheSpringrainshadfairlysetin,itseemedthatwehadnottastedmiseryuntilthen。AboutthemiddleofMarchthewindowsofheavenopened,anditbeganarainlikethatofthetimeofNoah。Itwastropicalinquantityandpersistency,andarcticintemperature。Fordrearyhoursthatlengthenedintowearydaysandnights,andtheseagainintonever—endingweeks,thedriving,drenchingfloodpoureddownuponthesoddenearth,searchingtheverymarrowofthefivethousandhaplessmenagainstwhosechilledframesitbeatwithpitilessmonotony,andsoakedthesandbankuponwhichwelayuntilitwaslikeaspongefilledwithice—water。Itseemstomenowthatitmusthavebeentwoorthreeweeksthatthesunwaswhollyhiddenbehindthedrippingclouds,notshiningoutonceinallthattime。Theintervalswhenitdidnotrainwererareandshort。Anhour'srespitewouldbefollowedbyadayofsteady,regularpeltingofthegreatraindrops。
　　IfindthatthereportoftheSmithsonianInstitutegivestheaverageannualrainfallinthesectionaroundAndersonville,atfifty—sixinches—
　　——nearlyfivefeet——whilethatoffoggyEnglandisonlythirty—two。Ourexperiencewouldleadmetothinkthatwegotthefivefeetallatonce。
　　Wefirstcomers,whohadhuts,weremeasurablybetteroffthanthelaterarrivals。Itwasmuchdrierinourleaf—thatchedtents,andweweresparedmuchoftheannoyancethatcomesfromthesteadydashofrainagainstthebodyforhours。
　　Theconditionofthosewhohadnotentswastrulypitiable。
　　Theysatorlayonthehill—sidethelive—longdayandnight,andtookthewashingflowwithsuchgloomycomposureastheycouldmuster。
　　Allsoldierswillagreewithmethatthereisnocampaigninghardshipcomparabletoacoldrain。Onecanbraceupagainsttheextremesofheatandcold,andmitigatetheirinclemencyinvariousways。Butthereisnoescapingalong—continued,chillingrain。Itseemstopenetratetotheheart,andleachawaytheveryvitalforce。
　　Theonlyreliefattainablewasfoundinhuddlingoverlittlefireskeptalivebysmallgroupswiththeirslenderstocksofwood。Asthiswoodwasallpitch—pine,thatburnedwithaverysootyflame,theeffectupontheappearanceofthehovererswas,startling。Face,neckandhandsbecamecoveredwithmixtureoflampblackandturpentine,formingacoatingasthickasheavybrownpaper,andabsolutelyirremovablebywateralone。Thehairalsobecameofmidnightblackness,andgummedupintoelflocksoffantasticshapeandeffect。Anyoneofuscouldhavegoneonthenegrominstrelstage,withoutchangingahair,andputtoblushthemostelaboratemake—upofthegrotesqueburnt—corkartists。
　　Nowoodwasissuedtous。Theonlywayofgettingitwastostandaroundthegateforhoursuntilaguardoffdutycouldbecoaxedorhiredtoaccompanyasmallpartytothewoods,tobringbackaloadofsuchknotsandlimbsascouldbepickedup。Ourchiefpersuaderstotheguardstodousthisfavorwererings,pencils,knives,combs,andsuchtriflesaswemighthaveinourpockets,and,moreespecially,thebrassbuttonsonouruniforms。Rebelsoldiers,likeIndians,negrosandotherimperfectlycivilizedpeople,werepassionatelyfondofbrightandgaudythings。
　　Ahandfulofbrassbuttonswouldcatcheveryoneofthemasswiftlyandassurelyasapieceofredflannelwillagudgeon。Ourregularfeeforanescortforthreeofustothewoodswassixover—coatordress—coatbuttons,ortenortwelvejacketbuttons。Allinthemesscontributedtothisfund,andthefuelobtainedwascarefullyguardedandhusbanded。
　　Thismannerofconductingthewoodbusinessisafairsampleofthemanagement,orratherthelackofit,ofeveryotherdetailofprisonadministration。AllthehardshipswesufferedfromlackoffuelandsheltercouldhavebeenpreventedwithouttheslightestexpenseortroubletotheConfederacy。Twohundredmenallowedtogooutonparole,andsuppliedwithages,wouldhavebroughtinfromtheadjacentwoods,inaweek'stime,enoughmaterialtomakeeverybodycomfortabletents,andtosupplyallthefuelneeded。
　　Themortalitycausedbythestormwas,ofcourse,verygreat。TheofficialreportsaysthetotalnumberintheprisoninMarchwasfourthousandsixhundredandthree,ofwhomtwohundredandeighty—threedied。
　　Amongthefirsttodiewastheonewhomweexpectedtolivelongest。
　　Hewasbymuchthelargestmaninprison,andwascalled,becauseofthis,"BIGJOE。"HewasaSergeantintheFifthPennsylvaniaCavalry,andseemedthepictureofhealth。Onemorningthenewsranthroughtheprisonthat"BigJoeisdead,"andavisittohissquadshowedhisstiff,lifelessform,occupyingasmuchgroundasGoliath's,afterhisencounterwithDavid。
　　Hisearlydemisewasanexampleofagenerallaw,theworkingsofwhichfewinthearmyfailedtonotice。Itwasalwaysthelargeandstrongwhofirstsuccumbedtohardship。Thestalwart,huge—limbed,toil—inuredmensankdownearliestonthemarch,yieldedsoonesttomalarialinfluences,andfellfirstunderthecombinedeffectsofhome—sickness,exposureandtheprivationsofarmylife。Theslender,withyboys,assuppleandweakascats,hadapparentlytheninelivesofthoseanimals。Therewerefewexceptionstothisruleinthearmy——therewerenoneinAndersonville。
　　Icanrecallfewornoinstanceswherealarge,strong,"hearty"manlivedthroughafewmonthsofimprisonment。Thesurvivorswereinvariablyyouths,atthevergeofmanhood,——slender,quick,active,medium—staturedfellows,ofacheerfultemperament,inwhomonewouldhaveexpectedcomparativelylittlepowersofendurance。
　　ThetheorywhichIconstructedformyownprivateuseinaccountingforthisphenomenonIofferwithproperdiffidencetootherswhomaybeinsearchofahypothesistoexplainfactsthattheyhaveobserved。Itisthis:
　　a。Thecirculationofthebloodmaintainshealth,andconsequentlylifebycarryingawayfromthevariouspartsofthebodytheparticlesofworn—outandpoisonoustissue,andreplacingthemwithfresh,structure—
　　buildingmaterial。
　　b。Themanishealthiestinwhomthisprocessgoesonmostfreelyandcontinuously。
　　c。Menofconsiderablemuscularpoweraredisposedtobesluggish;theexertionofgreatstrengthdoesnotfavorcirculation。Itratherretardsit,anddisturbsitsequilibriumbycongestingthebloodinquantitiesinthesetsofmusclescalledintoaction。
　　d。Inlight,activemen,ontheotherhand,thecirculationgoesonperfectlyandevenly,becauseallthepartsareputinmotion,andkeptsoinsuchamannerastopromotethemovementofthebloodtoeveryextremity。Theydonotstrainonesetofmusclesbylongcontinuedeffort,asastrongmandoes,butcalloneintoplayafteranother。
　　Thereisnocompulsiononthereadertoacceptthisspeculationatanyvaluationwhatever。Thereisnotevenanychargeforit。Iwilllaydownthissimpleaxiom:
　　Nostrongman,isahealthymanfromtheathleteinthecircuswholiftspiecesofartilleryandcatchescannonballs,totheexhibitionswellinacountrygymnasium。Ifmytheoryisnotasufficientexplanationofthis,thereisnothingtopreventthereaderfrombuildinguponetosuithimbetter。
　　CHAPTERXXII。
　　DIFFERENCEBETWEENALABAMIANSANDGEORGIANS——DEATHOF"POLLPARROTT"——
　　AGOODJOKEUPONTHEGUARD——ABRUTALRASCAL。
　　Thereweretworegimentsguardingus——theTwenty—SixthAlabamaandtheFifty—FifthGeorgia。Neverweretworegimentsofthesamearmymoredifferent。TheAlabamianswerethesuperiorsoftheGeorgiansineverywaythatonesetofmencouldbesuperiortoanother。Theyweremanly,soldierly,andhonorable,wheretheGeorgiansweretreacherousandbrutal。WehadnothingtocomplainofatthehandsoftheAlabamians;
　　wesufferedfromtheGeorgianseverythingthatmean—spiritedcrueltycoulddevise。TheGeorgianswerealwaysonthelook—outforsomethingthattheycouldtortureintosuchapparentviolationoforders,aswouldjustifytheminshootingmendown;theAlabamiansneverfireduntiltheyweresatisfiedthatadeliberateoffensewasintended。IcanrecallofmyownseeingatleastadozeninstanceswheremenoftheFifty—FifthGeorgiaKilledprisonersunderthepretensethattheywereacrosstheDeadLine,whenthevictimswereayardormorefromtheDeadLine,andhadnottheremotestideaofgoinganynearer。
　　TheonlymanIeverknewtobekilledbyoneoftheTwenty—SixthAlabamawasnamedHubbard,fromChicago,Ills。,andamemberoftheThirty—EighthIllinois。Hehadlostoneleg,andwenthobblingaboutthecamponcrutches,chatteringcontinuallyinaloud,discordantvoice,sayingallmannerofhatefulandannoyingthings,whereverhesawanopportunity。
　　Thisandhisbeak—likenosegainedforhimthenameof"PollParrot。"
　　Hismisfortunecausedhimtobetoleratedwhereanothermanwouldhavebeensuppressed。By—and—byhegavestillgreatercauseforoffensebyhisobsequiousattemptstocurryfavorwithCaptainWirz,whotookhimoutsideseveraltimesforpurposesthatwerenotwellexplained。
　　Finally,somehoursafteroneofPollParrot'svisitsoutside,aRebelofficercameinwithaguard,and,proceedingwithsuspiciousdirectnesstoatentwhichwasthemouthofalargetunnelthatahundredmenormorehadbeenquietlypushingforward,brokethetunnelin,andtooktheoccupantsofthetentoutsideforpunishment。Thequestionthatdemandedimmediatesolutionthenwas:
　　"WhoisthetraitorwhohasinformedtheRebels？"
　　Suspicionpointedverystronglyto"PollParrot。"Bythenextmorningtheevidencecollectedseemedtoamounttoacertainty,andacrowdcaughttheParrotwiththeintentionoflynchinghim。HesucceededinbreakingawayfromthemandranundertheDeadLine,nearwhereIwassittingin,mytent。Atfirstitlookedasifhehaddonethistosecuretheprotectionoftheguard。Thelatter——aTwenty—SixthAlabamian——
　　orderedhimout。PollParrotroseuponhisoneleg,puthisbackagainsttheDeadLine,facedtheguard,andsaidinhisharsh,cacklingvoice:
　　"No;Iwon'tgoout。IfI'velosttheconfidenceofmycomradesIwanttodie。"
　　Partofthecrowdweretakenbackbythismove,andfeltdisposedtoacceptitasademonstrationoftheParrot'sinnocence。Therestthoughtitwasapieceofbravado,becauseofhisbeliefthattheRebelswouldnotinjure,himafterhehadservedthem。Theyrenewedtheiryells,theguardagainorderedtheParrotout,butthelatter,tearingopenhisblouse,cackledout:
　　"No,Iwon'tgo;fireatme,guard。There'smyheartshootmerightthere。"
　　Therewasnohelpforit。TheRebelleveledhisgunandfired。ThechargestrucktheParrot'slowerjaw,andcarrieditcompletelyaway,leavinghistongueandtheroofofhismouthexposed。Ashewascarriedbacktodie,hewaggedhistonguerigorously,inattemptingtospeak,butitwasofnouse。
　　Theguardsethisgundownandburiedhisfaceinhishands。ItwastheonlytimethatIsawasentinelshowanythingbutexultationatkillingaYankee。
　　Aludicrouscontrasttothistookplaceafewnightslater。Therainshadceased,theweatherhadbecomewarmer,andourspiritsrisingwiththisincreaseinthecomfortofoursurroundings,anumberofusweresittingaround"Nosey"——aboywithasuperbtenorvoice——whowassingingpatrioticsongs。Wewerecominginstrongonthechorus,inawaythatspokevastlymoreforourenthusiasmfortheUnionthanourmusicalknowledge。"Nosey"sangthe"StarSpangledBanner,""TheBattleCryofFreedom,""BraveBoysareThey,"etc。,capitally,andwethrewourwholelungsintothechorus。Itwasquitedark,andwhileournoisewasgoingontheguardschanged,newmencomingonduty。Suddenly,bang！wentthegunoftheguardintheboxaboutfiftyfeetawayfromus。WeknewitwasaFifty—FifthGeorgian,andsupposedthat,irritatedatoursinging,hewastryingtokillsomeofusforspite。Atthesoundofthegunwejumpedupandscattered。Asnoonegavetheusualagonizedyellofaprisonerwhenshot,wesupposedtheballhadnottakeneffect。Wecouldhearthesentinelrammingdownanothercartridge,hearhim"returnrammer,"andcockhisrifle。Againtheguncracked,andagaintherewasnosoundofanybodybeinghit。Againwecouldhearthesentrychurningdownanothercartridge。Thedrumsbeganbeatingthelongrollinthecamps,andofficerscouldbeheardturningthemenout。Thethingwasbecomingexciting,andoneofussangouttotheguard:
　　"S—a—y！Whattheareyoushootingat,anyhow？"
　　"I'mashootin'atthat————————YanktharbytheDeadLine,andby———
　　ifyou'unsdon'ttakehiminI'llblowthewholeheadoffnhim。"
　　"WhatYank？Where'sanyYank？"
　　"Why,thar——rightthar——a—standin'agintheDedLine。"
　　"Why,youRebelfool,that'sachunkofwood。Youcan'tgetanyfurloughforshootingthat！"
　　Atthistherewasageneralroarfromtherestofthecamp,whichtheotherguardstookup,andastheReservescamedouble—quickingup,andlearnedtheoccasionofthealarm,theygavetherascalwhohadbeensoanxioustokillsomebodyatorrentofabuseforhavingdisturbedthem。
　　Apartofourcrowdhadbeenoutafterwoodduringtheday,andsecuredapieceofalogaslargeastwoofthemcouldcarry,andbringingitin,stooditupneartheDeadLine。WhentheguardmountedtohisposthewassurehesawatemerariousYankeeinfrontofhim,andhastenedtoslayhim。
　　Itwasanunusualgoodfortunethatnobodywasstruck。Itwasveryrarethattheguardsfiredintotheprisonwithouthittingatleastoneperson。TheGeorgiaReserves,whoformedourguardslaterintheseason,werearmedwithanoldguncalledaQueenAnnemusket,alteredtopercussion。Itcarriedabulletasbigasalargemarble,andthreeorfourbuckshot。Whenfiredintoagroupofmenitwassuretobringseveraldown。
　　Iwasstandingonedayinthelineatthegate,waitingforachancetogooutafterwood。AFifty—FifthGeorgianwasthegateguard,andhedrewalineinthesandwithhisbayonetwhichweshouldnotcross。
　　Thecrowdbehindpushedonemantillheputhisfootafewinchesovertheline,tosavehimselffromfalling;theguardsankabayonetthroughthefootasquickasaflash。
　　CHAPTERXXIII
　　ANEWLOTOFPRISONERS——THEBATTLEOFOOLUSTEE——MENSACRIFICEDTOA
　　GENERAL'SINCOMPETENCY——AHOODLUMREINFORCEMENT——AQUEERCROWD——
　　MISTREATMENTOFANOFFICEROFACOLOREDREGIMENT——KILLINGTHESERGEANTOF
　　ANEGROSQUAD。
　　Sofaronlyoldprisoners——thosetakenatGettysburg,ChicamaugaandMineRun——hadbeenbroughtin。ThearmieshadbeenveryquietduringtheWinter,preparingforthedeathgrappleintheSpring。Therehadbeennothingdone,saveafewcavalryraids,suchasourown,andAverill'sattempttogainandbreakuptheRebelsaltworksatWytheville,andSaltville。ConsequentlynonebutafewcavalryprisonerswereaddedtothenumberalreadyinthehandsoftheRebels。
　　ThefirstlotofnewonescameinaboutthemiddleofMarch。Therewereaboutsevenhundredofthem,whohadbeencapturedatthebattleofOolustee,Fla。,onthe20thofFebruary。Aboutfivehundredofthemwerewhite,andbelongedtotheSeventhConnecticut,theSeventhNewHampshire,FortySeventh,Forty—EighthandOneHundredandFifteenthNewYork,andSherman'sregularbattery。Therestwerecolored,andbelongedtotheEighthUnitedStates,andFifty—FourthMassachusetts。Thestorytheytoldofthebattlewasonewhichhadmanyshamefulreiterationsduringthewar。ItwasthestorytoldwheneverBanks,Sturgis,Butler,oroneofahostofsimilarsmallerfailuresweretrustedwithcommands。