Section 1
- Granny writes a note to Mrs. Compson and sends Ringo and Bayard to take it to her. Mrs. Compson gives them a hat, parasol, and mirror, and they walk back home. Yes, it seemed important to us, too.
- That afternoon they get the wagon ready again, and Granny writes down the name of the Colonel who had been at the house the day the boys shot the horse so she won't forget it. Colonel Nathaniel G. Dick. How could anyone forget a name like that?
- They go to bed in Joby's cabin, since their house has burned down, and the next day they get into the wagon once again and take off.
- Granny's plan is to find Colonel Dick, recover her silver, her slaves, and the mules, and come back home.
- They travel for six days and see a lot of dust kicked up in the distance. They pass a lot of white women and children standing outside their burnt-down houses. They also see about fifty freed slaves coming up the road at night.
- One of them, a woman with a baby, is unable to keep up, so Granny gives her a ride in the wagon. She gets out at a creek bottom, and when they head off again Ringo says she had caught up to her group again.
Section 2
- After six days of travel the group arrives at Hawkhurst, where Bayard's cousins and aunt live. His Cousin Denny runs up shouting, telling them that they, too, are living in a slave's cabin because their house was burned down. What are the odds?
- (High.)
- Denny takes Ringo and Bayard to see what the Yankees did to the railroad. Yup, it's destroyed.
- Then Cousin Drusilla rides up, so they run over to ask what she saw at the river where the freed slaves are trying to cross.
- She explains that ever since the Yankees came through and burned down the house, freed slaves have been walking to the river, singing. When they get to the river, though, they don't have a way to cross and go crazy trying to get to the other side. Yes, crazy.
- Cousin Drusilla promises to take everyone to see, which her mother does not approve of. Granny says she will go, though, because she is after her silver.
- Finally, when they're supposed to be asleep, Drusilla tells them the story of a crazy railroad chase (coincidentally, very similar to the real-life Andrews Raid, or "Great Locomotive Chase," in 1862).
- The boys go to bed, but Drusilla doesn't. She says she's quit sleeping ever since the war started. What a badass. She is excited about the chance to escape her fate of being a proper Southern belle, all thanks to the war. How's that for a tomboy?
- She makes Bayard promise that when he sees his father that he'll ask him to let her come fight with him. Bayard promises.
- The next morning they start along the road, which is full of freed slaves headed to the river on foot. When they get there, the Yankees are crossing on a bridge, but beat everyone else back because they're going to blow it up once they're across.
- Granny won't back down, though, because she is intent on that silver, and when the explosion makes a bang the wagon falls into the river with Granny, Bayard, and Ringo in it. Drusilla is on her own horse and they are separated.
- Luckily, the wagon floats.
Section 3
- The Yankees help the stranded family ashore and take Granny to Colonel Dick. Yup, she guessed it right: he is there at the camp.
- She explains that she's there to get her silver, her "darkies" (that's politically incorrect language for her slaves), and her mules. The Colonel is willing to help her out and gets his little assistant to make out a note. This guy screws up, though, and writes down that she's missing ten chests of silver, 110 mules, and 110 slaves. Bonanza!
- They hand over all the slaves that they have, and Granny doesn't really know what to do with them. They also load ten chests onto her wagon and a send a lot of mules on their way with her.
- The group rides all night, and when the sun comes up Granny reads the letter and realizes what's gone wrong. She also says that it's not their fault because they didn't understand what the mistake was, and that it must be the hand of God helping them along.
- Some Yankee officers ride up, and Granny is prepared to tell them the truth, but when they see the paper they just give them even more mules to bring them up to the 110 they are supposedly due.
- That night Granny tells all of the slaves that they are to go home, and then divides up the food they were given among all of them.
- They continue their ride and pass some more Yankees. These ones have horses, which are better than mules. Ringo tells the lieutenant that they are due twelve horses, and the lieutenant has to give them up because he sees the Colonel's signature on the letter.
- Finally they arrive back home and Granny makes Ringo and Bayard kneel down and pray for forgiveness for the sin of stealing.