"Send Mr. Sherman's company sweepin' down frue dese yere parts to scare de rebels till dey flee like de Midians, and slew darselves to sabe dar lives. "Let a little de best of heben's best judgments res' on Massa Lincum, and may de year ob Jubilee come sure. "O Lor'! bless de gin'rals ob de Norf--O Lor'! bless de kunnels--O Lor'! bless de brigerdeers--O Lor'! bless de capt'ins--O Lor'! bless de Yankees right smart. O Lor'! eberlastin'. Amen." [Illustration: Uncle Zeb's Prayer.] This very pertinent supplication and much more in the same vein, was listened to with marked approval by the audience--a sonorous and prolonged "Amen!" in which our friends heartily participated, greeting the conclusion of Uncle Zeb's prayer. Our subject, in describing the particulars of his escape, remarks that, notwithstanding the fact that the secret of their retreat was known to some thirty or forty of these poor slaves, neither he nor his companion entertained the shadow of a doubt that the secret would be safe with them; and adds that, in addition to their good faith, they possessed a remarkable talent for concealment. The Steadman plantation was only three miles from Aunt Katy's hut, and accordingly, Ben being sent for, soon made his appearance, and proffered his valuable services as guide. The offer was thankfully accepted; but, despite the preference of Glazier and his companion for the swamp as the safest place of concealment, Ben prevailed upon them to visit his cabin, where they were hospitably entertained by his wife and children. Having been duly inspected as curiosities "from de Norf," our friends were pleased to hear Ben instruct his little daughter to run up to the house of his mistress and "snatch a paper." She soon afterward came running back with the Augusta _Constitutionalist_, published that morning. Having gathered from the newspaper a sufficiently intelligible idea of the relative position of Sherman and his opponents, the fugitives bade farewell to the family, and proceeded upon their way, crossing the river by ten o'clock; and shortly after--Ben having parted from them--in consequence of the complicated directions of numerous _blind-roads_, they became confused, and, instead of pushing forward beyond the South Edisto, as they had planned to do, halted early in the afternoon and "pitched their tent" for the remainder of the day and night--said _tent_ having the sky for its roof as usual. Their camping-ground upon this occasion was in the heart of a dense pine wood, where, notwithstanding the grim and spectral surroundings, they slept soundly until after midnight, and then arose refreshed and ready for another day's march on the road to freedom. Hoe-cake and pinders (_anglice_, peanuts) formed their only repast, which they found sufficiently luxurious under the circumstances.