a hard customer to deal with, and that I would have to be unusually wary if I wanted to avoid getting into trouble with him. I had, however, unlimited confidence in my own abilities, and accepted the commission he gave me as a secret service agent with a determination to carry out my instructions to the letter at all hazards.
Furnishing me with transportation. General Winder started me off with despatches for General Earl Van Dorn. The despatches were simply a lot of blank papers, and a letter explaining the little game Winder was playing with me.
A North Carolina Militia-man tries to arrest Me.
Unsuspicious of any evil intentions on the part of the white-headed, benevolent-looking old gentleman, I hastened to execute my orders, but suddenly found myself brought up at Charlotte, N. C., with a round turn, as the sailors say. Winder had telegraphed to the provost marshal at Charlotte to have me arrested; and accordingly, when the train stopped at that place, a gawky member of the North Carolina home-guard put in an appearance, took me into custody, and demanded the papers I had in my pocket. It now flashed upon me that Winder had put up a job on me, and 1 resolved that he should not have the satisfaction of succeeding, if I could help it.
I accordingly measured my captor with my eye, and saw at a glance that he was not the brightest-witted specimen ever created, and concluded that if I only put on enough dignity I would have no serious difficulty in getting the best of him. It was evidently somewhat of a novelty for the tar-heeled home-guarder to arrest an officer; and while he felt the importance of the occasion immensely, he was in some degree of trepidation, especially when he saw that I was not disposed to acknowledge his authority.
I refused to give up the papers, and demanded, in the severest manner I could command, what right he had to undertake to make the arrest of an officer of the Confederate army travelling under orders. He showed me his orders, which I was forced to acknowledge were correct, but still declined either to give up the papers or to submit to an arrest.
I, however, promptly offered to return to Richmond with them, and report at headquarters to General Winder. This completely nonplussed him, and he was in a terrible quandary. His orders to arrest me were positive, and he was
