After dinner I was surprised by Lieut Miller informing me that a lady had called to see me. Wondering who it could be, I hastily went to the office and was overwhelmed with astonishment to find that it was my wife! Who had come through an army of thirty thousand men to this strange city to see after me. I had hardly begun to ask her the many questions I desire, before the commanding officer informed me the interview must terminate, as the alotted time of fifteen minutes allowed between prisoners and their visitors had expired. I returned to my room considerably cheered by the knowledge that my family were all well; and that no farther mishap had occurred either to them or my affairs otherwise. How I did yearn to be outside the jail in order that I might go about the city with my wife. I grew almost desperate in my longings, so much so that Hunter from sheer sympathy, sent out by Jim and smuggled in his room a couple of bottles of excellent wine, of which he informed me early in the evening after supper. He had seen how keen all the party here were after anything to drink, and also how they continually insisted on going to bed early, a point which I invariably contested, by the way, in spite of the scolding and quarreling of my companions, carried so far as I was concerned. Hunter proposed that, in addition to enjoying the liquor, we should also have a joke along with it, and, to this end, I should take charge of it, that soon after roll call I should propose that all hands should go to bed early, taking care not to undress myself, that after they had stripped, I should pretend that I had forgotten some important writing I was compelled to finish, get the whole party to fretting, pretend to an ill - humor myself, then to go to his room and invite him to ours, pull out the wine and drink it between us. The scheme took admilrably, all our party were overjoyed at the prospect of a good night's rest, a luxury I did not often allow them, their clothes were quickly stripped and, when the last one had popped into bed, I suddenly stated my request that I had forgotten a most important matter of writing. Slaughter instantly sprang up in his bed, remarking, "now, Rowe, this will never do, we must sleep tonight." Cox growled that he was opposed to this 'one - man power," referring to my keeping the whole party awake, Washington growled out his diapprobation, Norton said he was sure that I would feel better in the morning if I went to bed. I took issue with all of them, charged them with selfishness, and soon lashed them into a condition of fuming, fretfulness, except Mr Scott, who seemed to enjoy the thing. I then called Hunter in, and bringing out the wine and ice, I invited him to join me and, with mock seriousness, told him what I had to contend with. In the meantime, at the sound of the wine and ice, Slaughter and Cox subsided, as also did Norton and Washington, and each one slid to the edge of his bunk and looked wistfully at the bottles. According to programme the first bottle was exhausted at one draught by Hunter and I from our pint flasks, the other was instantly divided between us, and now if the look of blank dismay which overspread the countenances of Cox and Slaughter and Washington, as they saw their chance of a drink disappear, would have made Heraclitus laugh. John Scott roared, Hunter and I now joined in, and the joke was consummated, but not the fun, for it grew fast and furious until long after midnight.