"
All day in the bright sunshine they crept slowly onward, halting at brief
intervals to rest in the short grass by the roadside, and stopping to ask
information of the countrymen or stragglers whom they met. At last in the
red glow of the sunset they entered a strip of thin woodland, and found an
old negro gathering resinous knots from the bodies of fallen pines.
"Bless de Lawd!" he exclaimed as he faced them. "Is you done come fer de
sick sodger at my cabin?"
"A sick soldier? Why, we are all sick soldiers," answered Dan. "Where did
he come from?" The old man shook his head, as he placed his heavy split
basket on the ground at his feet.
"I dunno, marster, he ain' come, he des drapped. 'Twuz yestiddy en I 'uz
out hyer pickin' up dis yer lightwood des like I is doin' dis minute, w'en
I heah 'a-bookerty! bookerty! bookerty!' out dar in de road 'en a w'ite
hoss tu'n right inter de woods wid a sick sodger a-hangin' ter de saddle.
Yes, suh, de hoss he come right in des like he knowed me, en w'en I helt
out my han' he poke his nose spang inter it en w'innied like he moughty
glad ter see me--en he wuz, too, dat's sho'. Well, I ketch holt er his
bridle en lead 'im thoo de woods up ter my do' whar he tu'n right in en
begin ter nibble in de patch er kebbage. All dis time I 'uz 'lowin' dat de
sodger wuz stone dead, but w'en I took 'im down he opened his eyes en axed
fur water. Den I gun 'im a drink outer de goa'd en laid 'im flat on my bed,
en in a little w'ile a nigger come by dat sez he b'longed ter 'im, but
befo' day de nigger gone agin en de hoss he gone, too.
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