58 WHIP AND SPUR. 



over the ferry to meet him. Tired as I was, I 

 + ook a glorious brisk trot through the Canebrake 

 Road, with a couple of leaps over fallen trees, 

 that revived the old emotions and made a man 

 of me again. 



While we lay at Batesville we were unusu- 

 ally active in the matter of drill and reor- 

 ganization ; and this, with our engagements in 

 the town, kept us too busy for much recrea- 

 tion ; but Ludlow and I managed to work in a 

 daily swim in the White River, with old saddles 

 on our horses, and scant clothing on our per- 

 sons. Talk of aquatic sports ! there is no loyal 

 bath without a plucky horse to assist ; and a 

 swim across the swift current at Batesville, with 

 a horse like Ruby snorting and straining at every 

 stroke, belittled even the leaping at Lebanon. 



From Batesville we commenced our memora- 

 ble march to join the fleet that had just passed 

 Memphis, following down the left bank of the 

 river to Augusta, and then striking across the 

 cotton country to Helena, — a march on which we 

 enjoyed the rarest picturesqueness of plantation 



