The Tree of Appomattox

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE MESSENGER FROM RICHMOND

  It seemed that Dick and his comrades were to see an activity in thevalley under Sheridan much like that which Harry and his friends hadexperienced under Stonewall Jackson earlier in the war. All of the menbefore they went to sleep that night had felt confirmed in the beliefthat a strong hand was over them, and that a powerful and clear mindwas directing them. There would be no more prodigal waste of men andsupplies. No more would a Southern general have an opportunity to beatscattered forces in detail. The Union had given Sheridan a splendidarmy and a splendid equipment, and he would make the most of both.

  Their belief in Sheridan's activity and energy was justified fully,perhaps to their own discomfort, as the trumpets sounded before dawn,and they ate a hasty breakfast, while the valley was yet dark. Thenthey were ordered to saddle and ride at once.

  "What, so early?" exclaimed Pennington. "Why, it's not daylight yet.Isn't this new general of ours overdoing it?"

  "We wanted a general who would lead," said Warner, "and we've got him."

  "But a battle a day! Isn't that too large an allowance?"

  "No. We've a certain number of battles to fight, and the sooner wefight them the sooner the war will be over."

  "Here comes the dawn," said Dick, "and the bugles are singing to us tomarch. It's the cavalry that are to show the way."

  The long line of horsemen rode on southward, leaving behind themWinchester, the little city that had been beloved of Jackson, andapproached the Massanuttons, the bold range that for a while dividedthe valley into two parts. The valley was twenty miles wide beforethey came to the Massanuttons, but after the division the westernextension for some distance was not more than four miles across, and itwas here that they were going. At the narrower part, on Fisher's Hill,Early had strong fortifications, defended by his finest infantry, andColonel Winchester did not deem it likely that Sheridan would make afrontal attack upon a position so well defended.

  It was about noon when the cavalry arrived before the Southern works.Dick, through his glasses, clearly saw the guns and columns ofinfantry, and also a body of Southern horse, drawn up on one flank ofthe hill. He fancied that the Invincibles were among them, but at thedistance he could not pick them from the rest.

  The regiment remained stationary, awaiting the orders of Sheridan, andDick still used his glasses. He swept them again and again across theConfederate lines, and then he turned his attention to the mountainswhich here hemmed in the valley to such a straitened width. He saw asignal station of the enemy on a culminating ridge called Three TopMountain, and as the flags there were waving industriously he knew thatevery movement of the Union army would be communicated to Early'stroops below.

  Yet the whole scene despite the fact that it was war, red war, appealedto Dick's sense of the romantic and beautiful. The fertile valleylooked picturesque with its woods and fields, and on either side rosethe ranges as if to protect it. Mountains like trees always appealedto him, and the steep slopes were wooded densely. Lower down they werebrown, with touches of green that yet lingered, but higher up theglowing reds and golds of autumn were beginning to appear. The windthat blew down from the crests was full of life.

  Sheridan arrived and, riding before the center of his army, looked longand well at the Southern defenses. Then he called his generals, andsome of the colonels, including Winchester, and held a brief council.

  "It means," said Warner, while the colonel was yet away at the meeting,"that we won't fight any this afternoon, but that we'll do a lot ofriding tonight. That position is too strong to be attacked. It wouldcost us too many men to take it straight away, but having seen aspecimen of Little Phil's quality we know that he'll try somethingelse."

  "You mean get on their flank," said Dick. "Maybe we can make a passagealong the slopes of the mountains."

  "As the idea has occurred to me I take it that it will occur to LittlePhil also," said Warner.

  "Are you sure that he hasn't thought of it first?"

  "My politeness forbids an answer. I am but a lieutenant and he is ourcommander."

  The rest of the day was spent in massing the troops across the valley,the Winchester regiment being sent further west until it was againstthe base of the Massanuttons. Here Shepard came in the twilight andconferred with Colonel Winchester, who called Dick.

  "Dick," he said, "Mr. Shepard thinks he can obtain information of valueon the mountain. He has an idea that some fighting may occur, and soit's better for a small detachment to go with him. I've selected youto lead the party, because you're at home in the woods."

  "May I take Lieutenant Warner and Lieutenant Pennington with me? Itwould hurt their feelings to be left behind."

  "Yes. Under no circumstances must the feelings of those two young menbe hurt," laughed Colonel Winchester.

  "And Sergeant Whitley, too? He's probably the best scout in our army.He can follow a trail where there is no trail. He can see in thepitchy dark, and he can hear the leaves falling."

  "High recommendations, but they're almost true. Take the sergeant byall means. I fancy you'll need him."

  The whole party numbered about a dozen, and Shepard was the guide. Itwas dismounted, of course, as the first slope they intended to carrywas too steep for a horse to climb. They were also heavily armed, itbeing absolutely certain that Southern riflemen were on MassanuttonMountain.

  Dick and Shepard were in the lead, and, climbing up at a sharp angle,they quickly disappeared from the view of those below. It was as ifnight and the wilderness had blotted them out, but every member of thelittle party felt relief and actual pleasure in the expedition.Something mysterious and unknown lay before them, and they were anxiousto find out what it was.

  Shepard whispered to Dick of the care that they must take against theirfoes, and Warner whispered to Pennington that the mountain was reallyfine, although finer ridges could be found in Vermont.

  Two hundred yards up, and Shepard, touching Dick's shoulder, pointed tothe valley. The whole party stopped and looked back. Althoughthemselves buried in brown foliage they saw the floor of the valley allthe way to the mountains on the other side, and it was a wonderfulsight, with its two opposing lines of camp fires that shot up redly andglowed across the fields. Now and then they saw figures of men movingagainst a crimson background, but no sound of the armies came to them.Peace and silence were yet supreme on the mountain.

  "It makes you feel that you're not only above it in the body, but thatyou are not a part of it at all," said Shepard.

  Dick was not surprised at his words. He had learned long since thatthe spy was an uncommon man, much above most of those who followed hiscalling.

  "It gives me a similar feeling of detachment," he said, "but we knowjust the same that they're going to fight again tomorrow, and thatwe'll probably be in the thick of it. I hope, Mr. Shepard, that ourvictory yesterday marks the beginning of the end."

  "I think it does, Mr. Mason. If we clean up the valley, and we'll doit, Lee's flank and Richmond will be exposed. He'll have to come outof his trenches then, and that will give Grant a chance to attack himwith an overwhelming force. The Confederacy is as good as finished,but I've never doubted the result for a moment."

  "I've worried a little at times. It seemed to me now and then that allthose big defeats in Virginia might make our people too weary to go on.Why is that light flaring so high on Fisher's Hill?"

  "It may be a signal. Possibly the Southerners are replying to it withanother fiery signal on this mountain. We can't see the crest ofMassanutton from this slope."

  "You seem to know every inch of the ground in this region. How did youmanage to learn it so thoroughly?"

  "I was born in the valley not far from here. I've climbed overMassanutton many a time. Not far above us is a grove of splendid nuttrees, and along the edge of it runs a ravine. I mean to lead the wayup the ravine, Mr. Mason. It will give us shelter from the scouts andspies of the enemy."
r />   "Shelter is what we want. I've no taste for being shot obscurely hereon the side of the mountain."

  "Then keep close behind me, all of you," said Shepard. "We're abovethe steepest part now, and I know a little path that leads to theravine. Don't stumble if you can help it."

  The path was nothing more than a trace, but it sufficed to give them asurer footing, and in eight or ten minutes they reached the ravinewhich ran in a diagonal line across the face of the mountain, graduallyascending to the summit. The ravine itself was not more than three orfour feet deep, but as its banks were thickly lined with dwarfed cedarthey were completely hidden unless they should chance to meet theSouthern riflemen, coming down the mountain by the same way.

  The ravine at one point led out on a bare shoulder of the slope, andlooking over the little pines they clearly saw a fire blazing on thecrest and waving flags silhouetted before its glow. Far below, atFisher's Hill, flags were waving also.

  "Quite a lively talk," whispered Shepard. "I suppose the lookouts aretelling a lot about our army."

  "But it won't make much difference," said Dick. "By the time they'vespelled out from the flags what Sheridan is doing he'll be doingsomething else."

  They resumed their climb and the ravine led again into dense forest.Sergeant Whitley had moved up by the side of Shepard, as they were nownear the enemy, and his great scouting abilities were needed. It was awise precaution, as presently he held up his hand, and then, at asignal from him, the whole party climbed softly out of the ravine, andcrouched among the little cedars.

  Now Dick himself heard what the sergeant had heard perhaps a halfminute earlier, that is, the footsteps of two men coming swiftly downthe ravine. In another minute they came in sight, Confederatetroopers, obviously scouting. Luckily, the ravine being stony and thelight bad, they did not see any trail, left by Shepard's troop, andthey went on down the ravine.

  "Shall we go on?" asked Dick.

  "Not yet, sir," replied Shepard. "They don't suspect that we're uphere, and it's likely they're trying for a good view of our army. ButI fancy they'll be returning in a few minutes. We'd best be veryquiet, sir."

  Dick cautioned the men, and they lay as still as wild animals in theircoverts. In about ten minutes the two riflemen came back up theravine, and the hidden troopers could hear them talking.

  "We'll try some other part of the slope, Jack," said one.

  "Yes, that was a bad view," rejoined the other. "We couldn't tell athing about the Yankee movements from down there. We can leave theravine higher up, and I know a path that leads toward the north."

  "There's not much good in finding out about 'em anyway. That fellowSheridan is going to press us hard, and they have everything, numbers,arms, food, while we have next to nothing."

  "But we'll fight 'em anyhow. Still, I wish old Stonewall was here."

  "But he ain't here, and we'll have to do the best we can without him."

  Their voices were lost, as they passed up the ravine and disappeared.Then Dick and his little party came out cautiously, and followed.

  "I gather from what those two said that Early's men are depressed,"said Dick.

  "They've a right to be," replied Shepard. "Their army is in bad shape,besides being small, and now that we have a real leader we are, Ithink, sure to clean up the valley."

  "But there'll be plenty of hard fighting."

  "Yes. We'll have to win what we get."

  The ravine widened and deepened a little, and they stopped. SergeantWhitley in his capacity of chief scout and trailer climbed up the rockyside and looked about a little, while the others waited. He returnedin two or three minutes, and Dick saw, by the moonlight, that his faceexpressed surprise.

  "What is it, sergeant?" asked Dick.

  "A woman is on the mountain. She passed by the ravine not long since,perhaps not a half hour ago."

  "A woman at such a time? Why, sergeant, it's impossible!"

  "No, sir, it isn't. See here!"

  He opened his left hand. Within the palm lay a tiny bit of thin graycloth.

  "There may not be more than a dozen threads here," he said, "but Ifound 'em sticking to a thorn bush not twenty yards away. A half hourago they were a part of a woman's dress. A thorn bush grows among thecedars above. She was in a hurry, and when her dress caught in it shejerked it loose."

  "But how do you know it was only a half hour or less ago?" asked Dick.

  "Because she broke two 'or three of the thorns when she jerked, and itwas so late that their wounds are still bleeding, that is, a faint bitof sap is oozing out at the fractures."

  "That sounds conclusive," said Dick, "but likely it was a mountainwoman who lives somewhere along the slope."

  The sergeant shook his head.

  "No, sir, it was no mountain woman," he said. "When I found the clothon the thorns I knelt and looked for a trail. It's hard ground mostly,but I thought I might find the trace of a footstep somewhere. I foundseveral, and not one of them was made by the flat, broad shoe thatmountain women wear. I found small rounded heel prints which the shoesworn by city women make."

  "If any city woman is on this mountain she's a long way from home,"said Warner.

  "But I'm quite sure of what I say, sir," said the sergeant.

  "And so am I," said Shepard, who had been listening with the keenestattention. "Will you mind letting me lead the way for a little while,sir?"

  "Go ahead, of course," said Dick. "In such work as this we rely uponthe sergeant and you."

  "Then I'd like to take a look at those heel prints also."

  Dick thought he detected a quiver of excitement or emotion in the voiceof Shepard, always so calm and steady hitherto, and he wondered.Nevertheless he asked no questions as he led the way out of the ravine.

  The sergeant showed the heel prints to Shepard, and beyond questionthey had been made by a woman. By careful scrutiny they found a halfdozen more leading in a diagonal direction up the side of the mountain,but beyond that the ground was so hard and rocky that they coulddiscover no further traces.

  "You agree with me that the tracks have just been made?" said thesergeant to Shepard.

  "I do," replied the spy, his voice showing growing excitement, "and Ithink I know who made them. I didn't believe it at first. It seemedincredible. I want to try a little experiment. Will all of you remainperfectly still?"

  "Of course," said Dick.

  He took a small whistle from his pocket and blew upon it. The soundwas not shrill like that of Slade's whistle, but was very low, soft andmusical. He blew only a few notes. Then he took the whistle from hislips and waited. Dick saw that his excitement was growing. It showedclearly in the spy's eyes, and he felt his own excitement increasing,too. He divined that something extraordinary was going to happen.

  Out of the cedars to their right and a little higher up the slope camethe notes of a whistle, exactly similar, low, soft and musical.

  "Ah, I knew it!" breathed Shepard. He waited perhaps half a minute andthen blew again, notes similar and just the same in number. In a fewmoments came the reply, a precise duplicate.

  "We'll wait," said Shepard. "She'll be here in a minute or two."

  Dick and his comrades looked eagerly toward the point from which thesound of the second whistle had come. This was something amazing,something beyond their experience, but the excitement of Shepard seemedto have passed. His face had become a mask once more, and he waswaiting with certainty.

  Dick's sharp ear caught the sound of a light footstep approaching them,evidently coming straight and with confidence. He realized that untilnow he had not really believed, despite the footprints, despiteeverything, that a woman was on the mountain. But he knew at last. Heeven heard the swish of her skirts once or twice against the bushes.Then she came through the dwarfed cedars, stepping boldly, and stoodbefore them.

  The stranger stood full in the moonlight, and Dick saw her veryclearly. She was thin, small and elderly, clothed in a gray ridingsuit, a
nd with a sort of small gray turban on her head. But despiteher smallness and thinness and years there was nothing insignificant inher appearance. As she stood there looking at them, she showed a pairof the brightest and most intelligent eyes that Dick had ever seen.Her small, pointed chin had the firmness of steel, and figure, mannerand appearance alike betokened courage and resolution in the highestdegree.

  All these impressions were made upon Dick in a single instant, as if ina flash of light, and he also noticed in her face a resemblance to someone, although he could not recall, for a moment, who it was. But thesilence that endured for a half minute, while the men regarded thewoman and the woman regarded the men, was broken by Shepard, whouttered a low cry and strode forward.

  "Henrietta," he exclaimed, "you here at such a time!"

  He put his arms around her and kissed her.

  She returned his kiss, laughed a little, and the two turned toward theothers. Then Dick saw whom she resembled. As they stood side by sidethe likeness was marked, the same eyes, the same nose, the same mouth,the same chin, only hers were in miniature, in comparison with his, andin addition she was eight or ten years older.

  "Mr. Mason," said Shepard, addressing himself directly to their nominalleader. "This is my sister. She also serves as I do, and for her,hardships and dangers are not less than mine for me. She works chieflyin Richmond itself. But as you see, she has now come alone into themountains, and also into the very fringe of the armies."

  "Then," said Dick, "she must come on a mission of great importance andit is for us to honor so brave a messenger."

  He and all the others took off their caps in silence. They might havecheered, but every one knew that the foe was not far away in thethickets. There was sufficient light for him to see a little flush ofpride appear for a moment on the face of the woman. Strange as herposition was, she seemed easy and confident, lightly swinging in herhand a small riding whip.

  "I'll not ask you for the present, Henrietta, how you come to be here,"said Shepard, "but I'll ask instead what you've brought. These youngmen are Lieutenant Mason, Lieutenant Warner and Lieutenant Pennington.As I've indicated already, Lieutenant Mason leads us."

  "I bring information," she replied, "information that you will be gladto carry to General Sheridan. As a woman I could go where men couldnot, and you remember, Brother William, that I know the country."

  "Almost as well as I do," said Shepard. "As a girl you rode like a manand were afraid of nothing. Nor do you fear anything today."

  "Tell General Sheridan," she said, turning to Dick, "that theConfederate numbers are even less than he thinks, that a large area atthe base of Little North Mountain is wholly unoccupied."

  "And if we get there," exclaimed Dick, eagerly, "we can crash in on theflank of Early."

  "I'm not a soldier," she said, "but that plan was in my mind. A largedivision could be hidden in the heavy timber along Cedar Creek, andthen, if the proper secrecy were observed, reach the Confederate flanktomorrow night, unseen."

  "And that's on the other side of the valley," said Dick.

  "But at this point it's only four or five miles across."

  "I wasn't making difficulties, I was merely locating the places as youtell them."

  "I've drawn a map of the Confederate position. It's in pencil, but itought to help."

  "It will be beyond price!" exclaimed Dick. "You will give it to me?"

  "Of course! But you must wait a minute! Until I heard my brother'swhistle I didn't know whether it was North or South that I was going tomeet on the mountain."

  She disappeared in the bushes, and Dick heard a light rustling, but ina few moments she returned and held out a broad sheet of heavy paper,upon which a map had been drawn with care and skill. He had divinedalready its great value, and now his opinion was confirmed.

  "I can't thank you," he said, as he took it, "but General Sheridan andGeneral Grant can. And I've no doubt they'll do it when the timecomes."

  Again the light flush appeared in her cheeks and she looked actuallyhandsome.

  "Since my present task is finished," she said, "I'd better go."

  "Where did you leave your horse?" asked Shepard.

  "He's tethered in the bushes about a hundred yards farther down theside of the mountain. I'll mount and ride back in the direction ofRichmond. I know all the roads."

  Sergeant Whitley, who had gone a little higher up and who was watchingwhile they talked, whistled softly. Yet the whistle, low as it was,was undoubtedly a signal of alarm.

  "Go at once, Henrietta," whispered Shepard, urgently. "It's importantthat you shouldn't be held here, that you be left with a free hand."

  "It's so," she said.

  He stooped and kissed her on the brow, and, without another word, shevanished among the cedars on the lower slope. Dick thought he heard amoment later the distant beat of hoofs and he felt sure she was ridingfast and far. Then he turned his attention to the danger confrontingthem, because a danger it certainly was, and that, too, of the mostformidable kind. But, first, he gave the map to Shepard to carry.

  Sergeant Whitley came down the slope and joined them.

  "I think we'd better lie down, all of us," he said.

  Now the real leadership passed to the sergeant, scout, trailer andskilled Indian fighter. It passed to him, because all of them knewthat the conditions made him most fit for the place. They knelt or laybut held their weapons ready. The sergeant knelt by Dick's side andthe youth saw that he was tense and expectant.

  "Is it a band of the Johnnies?" he whispered.

  "I merely heard 'em. I didn't see 'em," replied the sergeant, "but I'mthinkin' from the way they come creepin' through the woods that it'sSlade and his gang."

  "If that's so we'd better look out. Those fellows are woodsmen andthey'll be sure to see signs that we're here."

  "Right you are, Mr. Mason. It's well the lady left so soon, and thatwe're between them and her."

  "It looks as if this fellow Slade had set out to be our evil genius.We're always meeting him."

  "Yes, sir, but we can take care of him. I don't specially mind thiskind of fighting, Mr. Mason. We had to do a lot of it in the heavytimber on the slopes of some of them mountains out West, the names ofwhich I don't know, and generally we had to go up against the Sioux andNorthern Cheyennes, and them two tribes are king fighters, I can tellyou. Man for man they're a match for anybody."

  "Slade's men don't appear to be moving," said Shepard, who was on theother side of the sergeant.

  "Not so's you could hear 'em," said Sergeant Whitley. "They heard usand they're creeping now so's to see what we are and then fall on us bysurprise. Guess them that's kneeling had better bend down a littlelower."

  Warner, who had been crouched on his knees, lay down almost flat. Hedid not understand forests and darkness as Dick did, nor did he havethe strong hereditary familiarity with them, and he felt uncomfortableand apprehensive.

  "I don't like it," he said to Pennington. "I'd rather fight in theopen."

  "So would I," said Pennington. "It's awful to lie here and feelyourself being surrounded by dangers you can't see. I guess a man inthe African wilderness stalked at night by a dozen hungry lions wouldfeel just about as I do."

  "I'm going to creep a little distance up the slope again," said thesergeant, "and try to spy 'em out."

  "A good idea, but be very careful."

  "I certainly will, Mr. Mason. I want to live."

  He slid among the bushes so quietly that Dick did not hear the noise ofhim passing, nor was there any sound until he came back a few minuteslater.

  "I saw 'em," he whispered. "They're lying among the bushes, andthey're not moving now, 'cause they're not certain what's become of us.It's Slade sure. I saw him sitting under a tree, wearing that bigflap-brimmed hat, and sitting beside him was a great, black-haired,red-faced man, a most evil-looking fellow, too."

  "Skelly! Bill Skelly, beyond a doubt!" said Dick.

  "That's him!
From what you said Skelly started out by being for theUnion. Now, as we believed before, he's joined hands with Slade who'sfor the South."

  "They're just guerrillas, sergeant. They're for themselves and nobodyelse."

  "I reckon that's true, and they're expecting to get some plunder fromus. But if you'll listen to me, Mr. Mason, we'll burn their faces whilethey're about it."

  "You're our leader now, sergeant. Tell us what to do."

  "Just to our right is a shallow gully, running through the cedars. Wecan take shelter in it, crawl up it, and open fire on 'em. They don'tknow our numbers, and if we take 'em by surprise maybe we can scatter'em for the time."

  "I suppose we'll have to. I'd like to get away with this map at once,but they'd certainly follow and force us to a fight."

  "That's true. We must deal with 'em, now. I'll have to ask all of youto be very careful. Don't slip, and look out for the dead wood lyingabout. If a piece of it cracks under you Slade and Skelly will be sureto notice it, and it'll be all up with our surprise."

  "You hear," whispered Dick to the others. "If you don't do as thesergeant says, very likely you'll get shot by Slade's men."

  With life as the price it was not necessary to say anything more aboutthe need of silence, and nobody slipped and no stick broke as theycrept into the gully after the sergeant. The cedars and thicketsalmost met over the narrow depression, shutting out the moonlight, butevery one was able to discern the man before him creeping forward likea wild animal. It was easy enough for Dick to imagine himself thatfamous great grandfather of his, Paul Cotter reincarnated, and that thedays of the wilderness and the Indian war bands had come back again.He even felt exultation as he adapted himself so readily to thesituation, and became equal to it. But Warner was grieved andexasperated. It hurt his dignity to prowl on his knees through thedark.

  They advanced about two hundred yards in a diagonal course along theside of the mountain until they came to a point where the cedarsthinned out a little. Then the sergeant whispered to the others tostop, rose from his knees, and Dick rose beside him.

  "See!" he said, nodding his head in the direction in which he wishedDick to look.

  Dick saw a number of dark figures standing among the trees. Two werein close conference, evidently trying to decide upon a plan. One, agiant in size, was Skelly, and the other, little, weazened and wearingan enormous flap-brimmed hat, could be none but Slade.

  "A pretty pair," said Dick, "but I don't like to fire on 'em fromambush."

  "Nor do I," said the sergeant, "but we've got to do it, or we won't getthe surprise we need so bad."

  But they were saved from firing the first shot as some one in thegully--they never knew or asked his name--stumbled at last. Slade andSkelly instantly sprang for the trees and Slade blew sharply upon hiswhistle. Twenty shots were fired in the direction of the gully, butthey whistled harmlessly over the heads of its occupants.

  It was Dick who gave the command for the return volley, and with amighty shouting they swept the woods with their breech-loading rifles.They were not sure whether they hit anything, but as the gully blazedwith fire they presented all the appearance of a formidable force thatmight soon charge.

  "Cease firing!" said Dick, presently.

  A cloud of smoke rose from the gully, and, as it lifted, they could seenothing in the woods beyond, but the sergeant announced that for aninstant or two he heard the sound of running feet.

  "It means they've gone," said Dick, "and that being the case we'll beoff, too. I fancy we've a great prize in this map. Your sister, Mr.Shepard, must be a woman of extraordinary daring and ability."

  "She's all that," replied the spy earnestly. "I think sometimes thatGod gave to me the size and physical strength of the family, but to herthe mind. Think of her life there in Richmond, surrounded by dangers!She has done great service to our cause tonight, and she has done otherservices, equally as great, before."

  Shepard was silent for a little while and then he began to chuckle tohimself, almost under his breath, but Dick heard.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "I was thinking of my sister," Shepard replied. "Your cousin, HarryKenton, if you should ever meet him again--and I know that youwill--could tell you a story of a dark night in Richmond, or at least apart of it, and he could also tell an interesting story, or a part ofit, of another map, almost as valuable as this, which disappearedmysteriously from the house of a rich man in Richmond where he andother Southern officers were being entertained. It vanished almostfrom under their hands."

  "Tell me now," said Dick, feeling great curiosity.

  "I think I'd better wait, if you'll pardon me, sir," said Shepard.

  "I'll have to wait anyhow," said Dick, "because I hear the tread of mencoming toward us."

  "But they're our own," said Sergeant Whitley, who was a little ahead,peering between the cedars.

  "I suppose they heard the shots and are hurrying to our relief," saidDick. "But we routed the enemy, we did not lose a man, and we'vebrought away the prize."

  The two forces joined and they were shortly back with ColonelWinchester, who fully appreciated the great value of the informationobtained by such a remarkable coordination of effort.

  "Dick," he said, "you and Mr. Shepard shall ride at once with me andthis map to General Sheridan."