"You'll have to ask the people what brought me. I can't tell you, I'm shure. I niver was in such a country and I hope I'll niver be again. I wasn't so troubled about mesilf as I was about you, Noel, me lad. Tell me about yoursilf." "Hush!" repeated Noel. "Be still!" he whispered excitedly. "Do you hear those voices?" "Shure, I hear them." "Well, keep still and see if we can find out what they are saying." It was plain to both the listening young soldiers that a man, who, from his tones and speech was undoubtedly white, was talking to a negro lad standing near the stack within which the two young soldiers were hiding. In a moment Noel recognized the voice of the little negro lad as that of the son of Aunt Katie. The little urchin, not more than ten years of age, had impressed the young soldier by the intensity with which he had looked at him from the time of his arrival until he was conducted by Aunt Katie to the place of his concealment. Noel grasped fiercely the arm of Dennis as he heard the man outside ask, "Have you seen any Yanks around here?" "No, suh! No, suh!" said the small negro. "I ain't seen no Yankees aroun' hyer." "You are sure, are you?" repeated the man, not ill-naturedly. "Yas, suh. Yas, suh." "Do you think you would know a Yank if you should see one?" "I shore would," replied the dusky child confidently. "Yo' all done tole us dat de Yanks hab hawns. I ain't seen nary a man wif hawns 'round yere." "Have you looked for them?" laughed the man. "Yas, suh." "Well, if you find any you must be sure to report to me. Sometimes you have to look right smart to find the horns on some of the Yankees." "Does dey grow right out of dere haid like dis?" "That's what they do, and their horns are sharp, too." "Glory!" exclaimed the little negro. "I reck'n I don't want to see no Yanks wif hawns. Is yo' all thinkin' dat dey is comin' yere sometime?" "I think some of them have been here." "What dey wan' hyer?" "You ask Aunt Katie about that. I reckon she knows more about it than I do. Are you sure, Little Jake, you haven't seen any Yankees that didn't have any horns?" "How would I know dey was Yankees if dey didn't hab any hawns? Yo' all don' tole us dat de Yankees hab hawns, so when I sees a man what I don' know I allus looks to see if he hab any hawns." "If he does have horns, then you make up your mind he is a Yankee, do you?" "Yas, suh. Dat's what yo' all don' tole us, so I looks fo' de hawns." "Well, the next time you find anybody in Aunt Katie's cabin whom you don't know, you come and tell me, whether he has horns or not. I'm expecting somebody to be in her cabin pretty soon. You're sure, are you, there isn't anybody there now?" "Yas, suh. You come 'long wif me," said the negro lad confidently, "and I'll show yo' all dat dere ain't nobody in dat cabin 'tall, 'ceptin' mammy."