I fancied that the Southern swamps were filled with all forms of loathsome and poisonous reptiles, and it required all my courage to venture into them barefooted.
Besides, the snags and roots hurt our feet fearfully.

Our hope was to find a boat somewhere, in which we could float out to sea, and trust to being picked up by some of the blockading fleet.

But no boat could we find, with all our painful and diligent search.

We learned afterward that the Rebels made a practice of breaking up all the boats along the shore to prevent negros and their own deserters from escaping to the blockading fleet.

We thought of making a raft of logs, but had we had the strength to do this, we would doubtless have thought it too risky, since we dreaded missing the vessels, and being carried out to sea to perish of hunger.