78

ran till he stopped suddenly at the steps of the Presbyterian Ch.
I wonder if he thought I am like a [devout?] Presbyterian, or if he
thought at all when he as suddenly darted off & across the
road to as large tree & then stood long enough for me to read a
long letter - He seemed to know when I finished for he was on
again & went till another mile when 'twas his pleasure to whirl
round & round trying to throw me. This was in a dense swarm
of mosquitoes & ‘twas not an enviable position, but his whirling
over, started on the run again, passed Miss S. & her little nag & he
did not stop till, almost breathless, he landed me at Mr. A’s house.
sometime before Miss S. came In a business like(?) way stated
the case to Mr. A. The man with the accused had arrived &
really twas quite courtlike - I wished I were ever so far off & out
of the affair. The man was thought to be guilty, proved to me an old
offender. He made all sorts of comical excuses. Did not mean to &c.
Part of the time we would feel like laughing & then like crying.
I don’t really know what was done with the man, probably put in
the guard house for a reason. The gentlemen insisted on our stopping
to dine with them, we did not need much urging & ‘twas pleasant
to sit at a good dinner as we are almost out of everything, told Mr. A.
begged him to give us something from the rations for colored people.
Gave us 7lbs. of flour from his own store & a loaf of bread.
After mounting at the door my animal just refused to leave