I quenched the fire with the loose earth; I raked up leaves with my hands and made a bed.  I had no covering, but the night was not cold, threatening rain, and the thicket sheltered me from the wind.

Some time in the night I awoke to find that I had dreamed of lying in a mountain brook with my mouth up stream and the water running through my whole body.  My mouth was parched.  I must have water at any risk.

I set out in I know not what direction.  I had put the remains of my supper into my coat pocket, for my judgment told me that in all likelihood I could never return to the spot I was leaving.

Before I had been walking ten minutes, I knew that I was completely lost; I went through thickets and briers, over logs and gullies, round and round, I suspect, for hour in and hour out, until just before day I saw the reflection of fire through the woods, and at the same time almost fell into a small pool.  It was the reflection of the light by the pool which at once showed me the water and saved me from finding it with a sense other than sight.

I drank and drank again; then I wondered what the fire meant.  Although it seemed far off, I was afraid of it; likely enough it was some rebel camp-fire; I had no idea whither I had wandered, I turned my back on the light, and walked until I could see it no more; then I stretched myself under a tree, but could not sleep.  Day was coming.

After a while it began to rain, and I had a most uncomfortable time of it.  It required considerable effort of will on my part to determine to move, for I did not know which way to start.  I set out, however, and had gone a short distance, when I noticed the green moss at the root of a large tree, and I remembered that I had read in stories of Indians and hunters that such moss always grows on the north side of the trees.  So I then turned westward, for I knew that I had crossed no road in my wanderings of the night, and I also know that the main road from Warwick Court-House to Lee’s Mill was at the west.  A little at my left I saw a great tree with a sloping trunk, and I went to it for shelter; it was raining harder.  When I reached the tree I saw a road just beyond.  I sat under the tree, the inclined trunk giving me shelter from the rain and hiding me from the road.  While eating the remains of my supper, I heard the tramp of horses, and looking out cautiously, saw a company of rebel cavalry going northward at a trot.  At the same time I could distinctly hear skirmish firing behind me, not half a mile off, seemingly.  The rain still fell and I held my place.

All at once I saw two men in the road; they were Union soldiers—­infantry—­skirmishers.

Before I could speak to them I was aware of the fact that an advancing line of our skirmishers was on either side of me.

“Hello, here!” cried one of them; “who are you?”

“Keep your place in line, Private Lewis,” said an officer, coming up, “I’ll attend to that man.”