A FRIGHTENED CONTRABAND.–

16. October 2008 by admin.

An army correspondent on the Rappahannock related the following:

An amusing incident occurred in camp a night or two since. A portly young contraband, from Charleston, S. C., who escaped from his rebel master at Antietam, and was for a while quartered subsequently in Washington, was engaged by one of our junior staff officers as his body servant, and brought down here to his quarters to attend him. It chanced that the officer had served his country gallantly at Sharpsburg, where he lost a leg, below the knee, the absence of which had been made up by an artificial limb, which the Captain wore with so easy a grace that few persons who met him suspected his misfortune–his sable attendant being among the blissfully ignorant as to the existence of the fact.

The Captain had been “out to dine,” and returned in excellent spirits to his tent. Upon retiring, he called his darky servant to assist him in pulling off his riding boots.

“Now, Jimmy, look sharp,” said the Captain. “I’m a little–ie–flimsy, Jimmy, t’night. Look sharp, an’–ie–pull steady.”

“Ise allers keerful, Cap’n,” says Jimmy, drawing off one long, wet boot, with considerable difficulty, and standing it aside.

“Now, mind your eye, Jim! The other–ie–a little tight;” and black Jimmy chuckled and showed his shining ivories, as he reflected, perhaps, that his master was quite as “tight” as he deemed his boot to be.

“Easy, now–that’s it. Pull away, continued the Captain, good-naturedly, and enjoying the prospective joke, while he loosened the straps about his waist which held his cork leg up–”Now you’ve got it! Yip–there you are! O Lord! O Lord! O Lord!” screamed the Captain, as contraband, cork leg, riding boot, and ligatures tumbled across the tent in a heap, and the one-legged officer fell back on his pallet, convulsed with spasmodit laughter. At this moment the door opened and a Lieutenant entered.

“G’way fum me, g’way fum me–lemmy be! lemmy be! I ain’t done nuffin,” yelled the contraband, lustily, and rushing to the door, really supposing he had pulled his master’s leg clean off. “Lemmy go! I didn’t do nuffin–g’way! g’way!” And Jimmy put for the woods in his desperation, since which he hasn’t been seen or heard from, though his Captain has diligently sought for him far and near.

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