ADDRESSES 169 



ant, whose honest face seemed a true indication of char- 

 acter, his wrath knew no bounds and was quite out-spoken. 

 Peace to your injured spirit, oh fiery-headed son of Es- 

 culapius, if you are still in the land of the living! I here 

 tender you my humble apologies. Doubtless you intended 

 nothing more than to compare the efficiency of my leaden 

 balls with one of your own deadly boluses, or to see how my 

 cleaver compared in sharpness with one of your own little 

 scalpels. But at that particular time I should have been 

 suspicious of my own brother had he desired to inspect or 

 use my arms. 



It was late Saturday afternoon, when, tired, and faint, 

 the ferry landed me in the city. Pushing straight to the 

 office of the Adams Express Company, I told them I had 

 the pay of a regiment to express home, and wanted five or 

 six hundred money-blanks and envelopes. I shall never 

 forget the look of incredulity with which the clerk looked 

 at me. I was dirty and ragged, just in from the front — 

 wore no shoulder-straps, for we had been ordered to remove 

 them and diminish the chances of being picked off by the 

 sharp-shooters, but had sword and pistol and an innocent- 

 looking haversack hanging at my side. However, he said 

 not a word but passed over the papers. 



My next adventure was in a saloon, where, on calling 

 for a drink of whiskey, I was informed that they were not 

 allowed to sell to privates. On my throwing down my pass 

 signed by General Banks, the courteous keeper acknow- 

 ledged his mistake, and invited me to take something at his 

 expense. Immediately after supper, to which — it is hardly 

 necessary to say — I was accompanied by that confounded 

 haversack (I fairly loathed it by this time), I retired to my 



