Sometimes they came stealing through the creeks in "dugouts," as we did on their side of the water, and occasionally an officer of ours was fired upon while making his rounds by night.

Often some boat or scow would go adrift, and sometimes a mere dark mass of river-weed would be floated by the tide past the successive stations, eliciting a challenge and perhaps a shot from each.

I remember the vivid way in which one of the men stated to his officer the manner in which a faithful picket should do his duty, after challenging, in case a boat came in sight.

"Fus' ting I shoot, and den I shoot, and den I shoot again.

Den I creep-creep up near de boat, and see who dey in 'em; and s'pose anybody pop up he head, den I shoot again.