Shall I tell you what I saw on either side of the bridge that made the creeps come over me and filled my soul with disgust; just a bed of maggots which hid the earth from site, writhing and wriggling in the hot July sun, a most loathsome sight. I passed on to the stream, which I found a small one, and yet of sufficient capacity to supply the prison. I looked at the water and my thirst was materially diminished. One needed to be very thirsty, take in large mouthfulls without breathing and closed eyes who drank it. I dipped up a cup of it just below the dead line, then threw it away, passed over the bride to the southern side and wandered down the edge of the morass where small springs had been cleaned out, the waters of which looked to be clear and pure, but in every one of which were more or less maggots. At last I come to one which, although not entirely free, was more so than any I had found. I decides I would fill my cups here and proceeded to do so. I stooped and dipped a cup and was proceeding to take a drink when a man in zuave uniform, whom I had noticed sitting on the bank just above the spring with a cupful by his side, threw its contents full in my face. Being similarly armed the broadside was returned promptly and accurately, the result of which, when he recovered his breath and eyesight, a roar that would have put to flight a whole regiment of Southern chivalry had it been in their faces on the battlefield. This demonstration was followed almost immediately by a seemingly miniature cyclone in which those standing at a little distance observed the flashing of tin cups amid the arms and legs of human shapes in mixed confusion. In the midst of the melee I remembered hearing voices crying "a fight! a fight!" and some one close by said 'drop your cups; I will take care of them for you!' which I did and was thereby was able to give my undivided attention to the other matter of lively interest in which I was engaged. Misfortune now began to overtake him. He first ran his left eye, by some blunder, against my right fist in a violent manner that seemed to daze him somewhat, and before he had recovered the first a second and worse overtook him. He suddenly fell to the ground with myself uppermost, in which position terms of peace were discussed, and it was agreed that he retire in peace to his place and war would be no more between us, the debts incurred to be mutually borne between us; a black eye on his side and a swollen lip and loosened tooth on mine. I think I must have caught one of his swings in my teeth when his fists were flying around my head in a reckless and disagreeable manner. However the unpleasantness was favorably over, casualties were light considering the noise. In this (on the American side) the Spanish-American war much resembled it. I was elevated to heroic heights, and victorious honors were awarded me, and when I asked my admirers what had caused the fellow to assault me in that way, they said that the springs I had discovered had been cleaned out by companies and individuals and were claimed ny them as private property, and that the public camp was not permitted to use the water. When I told them I was a new comer in the camp and had had no knowledge of this, I was freed from blame by everybody. My second in the fray, who had taken care of my cups, returned them to me all right. Another admirer took me to a spring in which he had an interest and filled them for me. Then by the way which I had come I returned to my friends, and when I had related to them the story of my adventure there was one laugh in Andersonville.
[CONTINUED NEXT WEEK]