The speaker said: "We air too, purty soon. Me and this feller was out thar four year ago," pointing to one of the party, and meaning the border troubles of 1856. "We're goin' after Jim Lane and a lot more of the Free-State Abolitionists. What place you goin' to?" "Lawrence." "Why, that's a Abolition hole. You a Abolition?" "Abolition? What is that?" my brother asked. "Why, do you believe in free niggers?" "I don't know enough about the subject to talk about it." "Whar did ye come frum?" "Indiana." One of the others said, "Thar is whar I come frum." The first spokesman said: "I come frum Arkansaw ten year ago, to the Sni hills." Whereupon my brother asked, "What stream is this we are approaching?" The first spokesman said, "This here crick is the Blue," and added, "you-uns'll never git to Kansis." My brother shifted his position in the wagon-seat so as to face the speaker, and asked, "Why do you say that?" "Oh, because the provost marshal will stop ye when ye git to town," meaning Independence. My brother's name was Ralph Emerson, the family all calling him "Em" or "Emerson." I said, "Emerson, I want a drink of water." Just as he crossed the stream he stopped the team, took a tin cup that we carried along, and got down and handed me up a cup of water; and the five horsemen rode on. As they were leaving us, the first spokesman said, "We'll see ye up town, boys." As we were passing up the main street in Independence, we were aware that we were very much observed. This being the very earliest period of the war, there were no Confederate uniforms, but in order to distinguish an enlisted man from a civilian each soldier had a chevron of white muslin sewed diagonally across his left arm. The strip was about two inches wide and five or six inches long. These soldiers were to compose a portion of what was afterwards known as the famous flower of the Southwestern Army, C. S. A. When we arrived about the central part of the town, we were halted. The man who halted us had on his left arm, in addition to the white chevron, one of red, just above the white one, on which were some letters, but I do not remember what they were. He had a cavalryman's saber and a Colt's revolver on his person. After halting us, he called to two other men, saying, "Come and search this wagon." Just as the men were climbing into the wagon we were asked where we were going. "To Kansas," said my brother. "Go ahead—search that wagon," said the man who halted us. Pretty soon one of the searchers said, "Sargent, here is a box of guns on their way to that d——d Abolition country." I laughed in spite of myself.