The lady deemed it prudent to retire; but four stout negroes appeared at the door. The unwelcome visitors pointed their weapons at them, and they fled at the sight of them. The two black women became very tractable, and the wanderers ate their fill of ham and eggs, supplemented with waffles. Deck left his thanks and two dollars for the lady of the house, and they retired. They went to the stable next, where they found four horses. They took from the harness-room a couple of plain saddles and bridles, with which they prepared the two best horses for their own use. Mounting them, they hastened up the road on the bank of the creek. CHAPTER XXXVI SCOUTING IN THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY Colonel Bickford was evidently a gentleman of taste, for he had selected a beautiful locality for his residence; but the scouts had not yet learned whether he was a Unionist or a Confederate. They were still in Kentucky, though not more than ten miles from the Tennessee line. When they had ridden a couple of miles, they met half a dozen negroes, with fishing-rods on their shoulders. "Going a-fishing?" asked Deck, as he reined in his steed. "Yes, sar. De sodjers done took all de meat in de country, and all de corn. Niggers can't git not'in t'eat 'cept out ob de creeks," replied the foremost of the party, who was a light mulatto. "Who lives in the house a mile or two down the stream?" continued Deck. "Cun'l Bickford." "Oh, yes; he is a Union man," added Deck. "No, sar!" exclaimed the mulatto vigorously. "Cun'l ob a Tennessee regiment. Whar you git his coach hosses?" "I'll tell you about that next summer; but we only borrowed them for a couple of days. He is badly wounded I heard." "Yes, sar; fotched home on a stretcher from Monticello, whar he com'd wid de army." "Why didn't he come down to Newberry along with the army?" asked Life, who knew precisely where he was when Monticello was mentioned. "De army don't come dis way, dey foller de road by de Souf Forks." "Where do they go then?" "Dunno, Mars'r; dey don't tell whar de go," replied the mulatto, shaking his head. This man seemed to be intelligent, and know more about the region than most of the negroes. Deck bade them good-by, and resumed his march. "I dunno's we need go any furder," said Life, after they had gone a few rods. "I hope we shall be able to obtain more reliable information than from the reports of these darkeys," replied Deck, who was in favor of doing the work thoroughly. "Jest as you say, Lieutenant; but if they had come down this way we'd 'a' seen some stragglers," answered the Kentuckian. "I reckon I know just whar they are gwine, 'cause I've been over the road myself. They'll foller the South Fork, and strike Jamestown, Fentress County, and from there make for Gainsborough, where they can git steamboats to tote them to Nashville." "There is a village ahead," said Deck. "That is Newberry" (as it was then called).