"We know nothing of the kind. Vicksburg will not surrender."

"Those were General Grant's exact words, sir," said the flag-officer.
"Of course it is nothing but their brag."

We went back sadly enough, but to-day H. says he will cross the river to
General Porter's lines and try there; I shall not be disappointed.

_July 3._--H. was going to headquarters for the requisite pass, and he
saw General Pemberton crawling out of a cave, for the shelling had been
as hot as ever. He got the pass, but did not act with his usual caution,
for the boat he secured was a miserable, leaky one--a mere trough.
Leaving Martha in charge, we went to the river, had our trunks put in
the boat, and embarked; but the boat became utterly unmanageable, and
began to fill with water rapidly. H. saw that we could not cross in it,
and turned to come back; yet in spite of that the pickets at the battery
fired on us. H. raised the white flag he had, yet they fired again, and
I gave a cry of horror that none of these dreadful things had wrung from
me. I thought H. was struck. When we landed H. showed the pass, and said
that the officer had told him the battery would be notified we were to
cross. The officer apologized and said they were not notified. He
furnished a cart to get home, and to-day we are down in the cellar
again, shells flying as thick as ever; provisions so nearly gone,
except the hogshead of sugar, that a few more days will bring us to
starvation indeed. Martha says rats are hanging dressed in the market
for sale with mule-meat: there is nothing else. The officer at the
battery told me he had eaten one yesterday. We have tried to leave this
Tophet and failed, and if the siege continues I must summon that higher
kind of courage--moral bravery--to subdue my fears of possible
mutilation.