I began to breathe a little freer, and to be able to inspect the men rather more closely, with a view of picking out a suitable one to communicate with.
At length I spied a young officer whom I had known slightly when I was figuring as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford, and who I knew to be a particularly bright, intelligent fellow. I concluded, therefore, to speak to him, and calling him to me, asked him a few immaterial questions, until we had walked away out of ear-shot of the others.
Conference with a Confederate Prisoner.
When we were where no one could overhear us, I said, "I am a Confederate, and have got in here under false colors; I have something important to say to you."
"I hope you have some good news for us."
"Yes, it is good news ; at least I hope you will think it is, for it concerns your liberation."
"Well, that is good, if it can be done, for we are mighty tired of this, I can tell you."
"It will depend a great deal on yourselves whether any thing can be done; but if the prisoners will only co-operate in the right spirit, at the right moment, with our friends outside, not only will they secure their release, but they will be able to hit the Yankees a staggering blow."
His eyes sparkled at this, and I saw that he was willing and eager to engage in almost any enterprise that promised to secure his liberation, and I was only fearful that in his excitement he would do something incautious, that would interfere with the successful prosecution of our scheme.
I therefore said, "You must be very careful, keep cool, and, above all things, don't give a hint as to who I am. Say that I am a Yankee, if anybody asks you, and pretend that this conversation was only about how you are treated, and whether you do not wish that the war was over, whether you expect to be exchanged soon, and matters of that kind."
"I will fix that all right. What is it that the boys outside are going to do for us?"
"I have a despatch here which will tell you what are the arrangements, what the signals outside will be, and what you are to do when you see them. Give it to the party it is addressed to, and consider yourselves under his orders until your liberation is effected. When you are once outside of the
