The picket post now seemed deserted.  Partly with the intention of getting nearer the river, but more, I confess, with the hope of appeasing hunger, Nick and I now cautiously approached the abandoned line.  We were afraid to show ourselves in the road, so we crawled through the felled timber.

The camp was entirely deserted.  Scattered here and there over the ground were the remains of straw beds; some brush arbours—­improvised shelters—­were standing; we found enough broken pieces of hardtack to relieve our most pressing want.

I followed the line of felled timber to the north; it ended within two hundred yards of the road.

“Nick,” said I; “what is between us and the river in this direction?” pointing northwest.

“Noth’n’ but woods tell you git down in de bottom,” said Nick.

“And the bottom, is it cultivated?  Is it a field?”

“Yassa; some of it is, but mos’ of it ain’t.”

“Are there any more soldiers on this side of the river?”

“You mean ’long here?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I dunno ezackly; I reckon dey is all gone now; but dey is some mo’ up on dis side, up higher, up on de upper head o’ de riber, whah Lee’s Mill is.”

“How far is it to Lee’s Mill?”

“Hit’s mos’ fo’ mile.”

“How deep is the river above Lee’s Mill?”

“Riber is deep down below de mill.”

“Is the river deep here?” pointing west.

“Yassa; de tide comes up to Lee’s Mill.”

“Are there no Southern soldiers below Lee’s Mill?”

“Dey goes down dat-away sometimes.”

“Are there any breastworks below Lee’s Mill?”

“Down at de mill de breswucks straks off to de Jim Riber up at de Pint.”

“Up at what Point?”

“Up at de Mulberry Pint.”

“And right across the river here, there are no breastworks?”

“No, sa’; dey ain’t no use to have ’em dah.”

Feeling confident that the movements I had seen indicated the withdrawal of at least some of the rebel outposts to their main line beyond the Warwick, and that I could easily and alone reach the river and follow it up—­since the rebel line was on its other bank or beyond—­I decided to let Nick go.

“Nick,” said I; “I don’t believe I shall need you any more now.”

“You not a-gwine to gimme dat yudda dolla’?”

“Oh, yes; of course I shall pay you, especially if you will attend closely to what I tell you; you are to serve me till night, are you not?”

“Yassa.”

“Well, I want you to go to the Union army at Newport News for me.  Will you do it?”

“Yassa.”

“Now, Nick, you must look sharp on the road and not let the rebels catch you.”

“I sho’ look sharp,” said Nick.

“And look sharp for the Union army, too; I hope you will meet some Union soldiers; then you will be safe.”

“I sho’ look sharp,” said Nick.