It was "after taps," a sultry, Southern-summer night. On the extreme edge of the encampment, on the side nearest the enemy, a sentinel paused in his walk, and peered cautiously out into the darkness. "Pshaw!" he said; "it"s nothing but a dog." He was resuming his walk, when the supposed quadruped rose suddenly, and walked along on two feet in a manner so unmistakably human, that the sentinel lowered his musket once more, and shouted, "Halt!
Advance, and give the counter-sign!" A faint, childish voice said, "Ain"t got none, ma.s.sa."
"Well, there now!" said the sentinel, "if it ain"t just a little darkey, and I guess I"ve frightened him half to death. Come here, s...o...b..ll."
The child crept up, and said, tremblingly: ""Deed, ma.s.sa, I ain"t got nuffin ter gib yer."
"Well, who asked you to give me anything?"
"Yer don ax me fer gib yer suffin jes" now; and I ain"t got nuffin "cep" my close what I got on."
"Well, you needn"t fret; I don"t want "em. Corporal of the guard! Post two."
The corporal hastened to "post two," and found the sentinel with his hand on the shoulder of a little black boy, who, between fear, fatigue, and hunger, was unable to give any account of himself. "I"ll take him to Captain Leigh," the corporal said; "he"s officer of the day. Maybe he"ll be able to get something out of him."
The captain stood in front of his tent, looking out into the night, when the corporal and his charge approached.
"Captain," said he, "here"s a boy just come into the lines."
"Very well; you can leave him here."
At the first sound of the captain"s voice the boy drew nearer to him, as knowing instinctively that he had found a friend.
"You can go into that tent and sleep till morning," said the captain.
"What is your name!" was Captain Leigh"s first question the next morning.
"Name Tobe."
"Is that all?"
"Dat"s all, Ma.s.s Cap"n."
"How old are you?"
"Dunno, Ma.s.sa Cap"n. n.o.body nebber done tole me dat ar."
"Where have you come from?"
"Come fum de back o" Richmon", Ma.s.s Cap"n."
"What did you come here for?"
"All de res" ob "em runned away; an" ole ma.s.s he wor so mad, I wor jes"
feared o" my life. "Sides, I t"ought I mought fin" my mammy ef I got "mong der Unions."
"Where is your mother?"
"Dunno, Ma.s.s Cap"n. Ole ma.s.s done sol" her down in Georgy las"
corn-shuckin", an" I ain"t nebber heerd ob her sence. But I t"ought mebby she mought ha" runned "way too, an" I"d fin" her wid der Unions."
"Well, now, what are you going to do?"
"Dunno, Ma.s.s Cap"n. I"d like ter stay "long wid you."
"What can you do?"
"Kin wait on yer, Ma.s.s Cap"n; kin shine up boots, an""--brightening up as his eyes, wandering round caught sight of the horses--"kin clean de hosses right smart." * * *
"If I keep you with me you must be a good boy, and do as I tell you."
""Deed I will, Ma.s.s Cap"n. I"se do ebery work yer say, sho"s yer born."
So when the troops left Harrison"s Landing, Tobe went too, in charge of the captain"s horse and baggage; and, when the steamer was fairly under way, he brightened into a new creature as every revolution of the wheel placed a greater distance between himself and "old ma.s.sa." * * *
It proved that Tobe had told the truth about his skill in taking care of horses. Captain Leigh"s horse had never looked so well as now, and the captain was delighted. Tobe turned out, moreover, to be a very good boy.
But the army is not a very good place for boys. So one day Captain Leigh said:--
"Tobe, how would you like to go North?"
"Whar"s it at, Ma.s.s Cap"n?"
"I mean my home at the North."
"When is yer gwine, Ma.s.s Cap"n?"
"I am not going at all now."
"Does yer mean ter sen" me away from yer, Ma.s.s Cap"n?"
Captain Leigh was touched, and answered him very gently,--
"Yes, I want to send you away from me now, because it will be better for you. But, when the war is over, I shall go home, and then you can stay with me always if you are a good boy."
"I allus does jes" de t"ings yer tell me, Ma.s.s Cap"n."
"I know you do. And, just because you do what I tell you so well I want to send you to my home, to run errands for my wife, and do what work she will give you in the house. And I have three little children--two little girls and a baby boy. I want you to go with them when they go out to play and take care of them. My home is in a very pleasant place in the country.
Don"t you think you would like to go there?"
"Ef yer goes too, Ma.s.s Cap"n."
"But, my boy, I can"t possibly go now."
"I"se do jes de t"ing yer say, Ma.s.s Cap"n. Ef yer tells me to go, I"se go.
An" I"se jest do ebery word the missus say, an" I look af"r de chillens de bes" I knows, ontel yer comes dar. On"y please come right soon, Ma.s.s Cap"n."
And, as the captain left the tent, Tobe laid his head upon his arm and cried as if his heart would break.
Captain Leigh found a brother officer who was expecting to go home on a furlough, and who readily agreed to take charge of the boy in whom his friend was so deeply interested.