Harry1 and Dalton were aroused before daylight by Colonel Peyton of Lee's staff, with instructions to mount at once, and join a strong detachment, ready to go ahead and clear a way. Sherburne's troop would lead. The Invincibles, for whom mounts had been obtained, would follow. There were fragments of other regiments4, the whole force amounting to about fifteen hundred men, under the command of Sherburne, who had been raised the preceding afternoon to the rank of Colonel, and whose skill and valor5 were so well known that such veterans as Colonel Talbot and Lieutenant6 Colonel St. Hilaire were glad to serve under him. Harry and Dalton would represent the commander-in-chief, and would return whenever Colonel Sherburne thought fit to report to him.
Harry was glad to go. While he had his periods of intense thought, and his character was serious, he was like his great ancestor, essentially7 a creature of action. His blood flowed more swiftly with the beat of his horse's hoofs8, and his spirits rose as the free air of the fields and forests rushed past him. Moreover he was extremely anxious to see what lay ahead. If barriers were there he wanted to look upon them. If the union cavalry9 were trying to keep them from laying bridges across the Potomac he wanted to help drive them away.
Harry and Dalton had a right as aides and messengers of Lee to ride with Sherburne, but before they joined him they rode among the Invincibles, who were in great feather, because they too, for the time being, rode, and toiled11 in neither dust nor mud.
"Colonel Sherburne may think a good deal of his own immediate12 troop," said St. Clair to Harry, "but if the men of the Invincibles could achieve so much on foot they'll truly deserve their name on horseback. Where is this enemy of ours? Lead us to him."
"You'll find him soon enough," said Harry. "You South Carolina talkers have learned many times that the Yankees will fight."
"Yes, Harry, I admit it freely. But you must admit on your part that the South Carolinians will fight as well as talk, although at present most of the South Carolinians in this regiment3 are Virginians."
"But not our colonel and lieutenant-colonel," said Happy Tom. "Real old South Carolina still leads."
"Tell Colonel Sherburne," said Happy Tom, who was in splendid spirits, "that we congratulate him on his promotion14 and are ready to obey him without question."
"All right. He'll be glad to know that he has your approval."
"He might have the approval of worse men. I feel surging within me the talents of a great general, but I'm too young to get 'em recognized."
"You'll have to wait until the sections are not fighting each other, but are united against a common foe15. But meanwhile I'll tell Colonel Sherburne that if he gets into a tight pinch not to lose heart as you are here."
Saluting16 Colonel Talbot and Lieutenant-Colonel St. Hilaire, Harry and Dalton rode to the head of the column, where Sherburne led. They ate their breakfast on horseback, and went swiftly down a valley in the general direction of the Potomac. The dawn had broadened into full morning, clear and bright, save for a small cloud that hung low in the southwest, which Sherburne noticed with a frown.
"That's a little cloud and it looks innocent," he said to Harry, "but I don't like it."
"Why not?"
"Because in the ten minutes that I've been watching it I've been able to notice growth. I'm weather-wise and we may have more rain. More rain means a higher Potomac. A higher Potomac means more difficulty in crossing it. More difficulty in crossing it means more danger of our destruction, and our destruction would mean the end of the Confederacy."
He spoke17 with deadly earnestness as he continued to look at the tiny dusky spot on the western sky. Harry had a feeling of awe18. Again he realized that such mighty19 issues could turn upon a single hair. The increase or decrease of that black splotch might mean the death or life of the Confederacy. As he rode he watched it.
His heart sank slowly. The little baby cloud, looking so harmless, was growing. He said to himself in anger that it was not, but he knew that it was. Black at the center, it radiated in every direction until it became pale gray at the edges, and by and by, as it still spread, it gave to the southwest an aspect that was distinctly sinister20.
Sherburne shook his head and the gravity of his face increased. As the cloud grew alarm grew with it in his mind.
"Maybe it will pass," said Harry hopefully.
"I don't think so. It's not moving away. It just hangs there and grows and grows. You're a woodsman, Harry, and you ought to feel it. Don't you think the atmosphere has changed?"
"I didn't have the courage to say so until you asked me, but it's damper. If I were posing as a prophet I should say that we're going to have rain."
"And so should I. Usually at this period of the year in our country we want rain, but now we dread21 it like a pestilence22. At any other time the Potomac could rise or fall, whenever it pleased, for all I cared, but now it's life and death."
"And here come the first drops!"
Sherburne sent hurried orders among the men to keep their ammunition24 and weapons dry, and then they bent25 their heads to the storm which would beat almost directly in their faces. Soon it came without much preliminary thunder and lightning. The morning that had been warm turned cold and the rain poured hard upon them. Most of the horsemen were wet through in a short time, and they shivered in their sodden26 uniforms, but it was a condition to which they were used, and they thought little of themselves but nearly all the while of the Potomac.
Few words were spoken. The only sounds were the driving of the rain and the thud of many hoofs in the mud. Harry often saw misty27 figures among the trees on the hills, and he knew that they were watched by hostile eyes as the Northern armies in Virginia, were always watched with the same hostility28. It was impossible for Lee's men to make any secret march. The population, intensely loyal to the union, promptly29 carried news of it to Meade or his generals.
"I might send out men and cut off a few of them," he said, "but for what good? Hundreds more would be left and we'd merely be burdened with useless prisoners. Here's a creek33 ahead, Harry, and look how muddy and foamy34 it is! It's probably raining harder higher up in the hills than it is here, and all these creeks35 and brooks36 go to swell37 the Potomac."
The swift water rose beyond their stirrups and there was a vast splashing as fifteen hundred men rode through the creek. It was a land of many streams, and a few miles farther on they crossed another, equally swollen38 and swift.
They had hoped that the rain, like the sudden violence of a summer shower, would pass soon, but the skies remained a solid gray and it settled into a steady solemn pour, cold and threatening, and promising39 to continue all day long. They could see that every stream they crossed was far above its normal mark, and the last hope that they might find the Potomac low enough for fording disappeared.
The watchers on the hills were still there, despite the rain, but they did no sharpshooting. Nor did the Southern force do damage to anybody or anything, as it passed. Near noon Sherburne resolved to build a fire in a cove41 protected by cliffs and heavy timber, and give his men warm food lest they become dispirited.
It was a task to set the wet wood, but the men of his command, used to forest life, soon mastered it. Then they threw on boughs42 and whole tree trunks, until a great bonfire blazed and roared merrily, thrusting out innumerable tongues of red and friendly flame.
"Is there anything more beautiful than a fine fire at such a time?" said St. Clair to Harry. "As it blazes and eats into the wood it crackles and those crackling sounds are words."
"What do the words say?"
"They say, 'Come here and stand before me. So long as you respect me and don't come too close I'll do you nothing but good. I'll warm you and I'll dry you. I'll drive the wet from your skin and your clothes, and I'll chase the cold out of your body and bones. I'll take hold of your depressed43 and sunken heart and lift it up again. Where you saw only gray and black I'll make you see gold and red. I'll warm and cook your food for you, giving you fresh life and strength. With my crackling coals and my leaping flames I'll change your world of despair into a world of hope.'"
"Hear! Hear!" said Happy Tom. "Arthur has turned from a sodden soldier into a giddy poet! Is any more poetry left in the barrel, Arthur?"
"Plenty, but I won't turn on the tap again to-day. I've translated for you. I've shown you where beauty and happiness lie, and you must do the rest for yourself."
They crowded about the huge fire which ran the entire length of the cove, and watched the cooks who had brought their supplies on horseback. Great quantities of coffee were made, and they had bacon and hard biscuits.
Although the rain still reached them in the cove they forgot it as they ate the good food—any food was good to them—and drank cup after cup of hot coffee. Youthful spirits rose once more. It wasn't such a bad day after all! It had rained many times before and people still lived. Also, the Potomac had risen many times before, but it always fell again. They were riding to clear the way for Lee's invincible2 army which could go wherever it wanted to go.
"Men on horseback looking at us!" hailed Happy Tom. "About fifty on a low hill on our right. Look like Yankee cavalrymen. Wonder what they take us for anyway!"
Harry, St. Clair, Langdon and Dalton walked to the edge of the cove, every one holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand. Sherburne was already there and with his glasses was examining the strange group, as well as he could through the sweeping44 rain.
"A scouting45 party undoubtedly," he said, "but weather has made their uniforms and ours look just about alike. It's equally certain though that they're Yankees. No troop of ours so small would be found here."
Harry was also watching them through glasses, and he took particular note of one stalwart figure mounted upon a powerful horse. The distance was too great to recognize the face, but he knew the swing of the broad shoulders. It was Shepard and once more he had the uneasy feeling winch the man always inspired in him. He appeared and reappeared with such facility, and he was so absolutely trackless that he had begun to appear to him as omniscient46. Of course the man knew all about Sherburne's advance and could readily surmise47 its purpose.
"They're an impudent48 lot to sit there staring at us in that supercilious49 manner," said Colonel Talbot. "Shall I take the Invincibles, sir, and teach them a lesson?"
Sherburne smiled and shook his head.
"No, Colonel," he said, "although I thank you for the offer. They'd melt away before you and we'd merely waste our energies. Let them look as much as they please, and now that the boys have eaten their bread and bacon and drunk their coffee, and are giants again, we'll ride on toward the Potomac."
"Do we reach it to-day, sir?" asked Colonel Talbot.
"Not before to-morrow afternoon, even if we should not be interrupted. This is the enemy's country and we may run at any time into a force as large as our own if not larger."
"Thank you for the information, Colonel Sherburne. My ignorance of geography may appear astonishing to you, although we had to study it very hard at West Point. But I admit my weakness and I add, as perhaps some excuse, that I have lately devoted50 very little attention to the Northern states. It did not seem worth my time to spend much study on the rivers, and creeks and mountains of what is to be a foreign country—although I may never be able to think of John Carrington and many other of my old friends in the army as the foreigners they're sure to become. Has the thought ever occurred to you, Colonel, that by our victories we're making a tremendous lot of foreigners in America?"
"It has, Colonel Talbot, but I can't say that the thought has ever been a particularly happy one."
"It's the Yankees who are being made into foreigners," said Lieutenant-Colonel St. Hilaire. "The gallant51 Southern people, of course, remain what they are."
"They're going," said Harry. "They've seen enough of us."
The distant troop disappeared over the crest52 of the hill. Harry had noticed that Shepard led the way as if he were the ruling spirit, but he did not consider it necessary to say anything to the others about him. The trumpet53 blew and Sherburne's force, mounting, rode away from the cove. Harry cast one regretful glance back at the splendid fire which still glowed there, and then resigned himself to the cold and rain.
They did not stop again until far in the night. The rain ceased, but the whole earth was sodden and the trees on the low ridge10, on which Sherburne camped, dripped with water. Spies might be all around them, but for the sake of physical comfort and the courage that he knew would come with it, he ordered another big fire built. Vigilant54 riflemen took turns in beating up the forests and fields for possible enemies, but the young officers once more enjoyed the luxury of the fire. Their clothing was dried thoroughly55, and their tough and sinewy56 frames recovered all their strength and elasticity57.
"To enjoy being dry it is well to have been wet," said Dalton sententiously.
"That's just like you, you old Presbyterian," said Happy Tom. "I suppose you'll argue next that you can't enjoy Heaven unless you've first burned in the other place for a thousand years."
"There may be something in that," said Dalton gravely, "although the test, of course, would be an extremely severe one."
"I know which way you're headed, George."
"Then tell me, because I don't know myself."
"As soon as this war is over you'll enter the ministry58, and no sin will get by you, not even those nice little ones that all of us like to forgive."
"Maybe you're right, Happy, and if I do go into the ministry I shall at once begin long and earnest preparation for the task which would necessarily be the most difficult of my life."
"And may I make so bold as to inquire what it is, George?"
"Your conversion59, Happy."
Langdon grinned.
"For your own well being, Tom. Your happiness is nothing to me, but I want to make you good."
Both laughed the easy laugh of youth, but Harry looked long at Dalton. He thought that he detected in him much of the spirit of Stonewall Jackson, and that here was one who had in him the makings of a great minister. The thought lingered with him.
St. Clair was carefully smoothing out his uniform and brushing from it the least particle of mud. His first preoccupation always asserted itself at the earliest opportunity, and in a very short time he was the neatest looking man in the entire force. Harry, although he often jested with him about it, secretly admired this characteristic of St. Clair's.
"You boys sleep while you can," said Sherburne, "because we can't afford to linger in this region. Our safety lies in rapid marching, giving the enemy no chance to gather a large force and trap us. Make the best of your time because we're up and away an hour after midnight."
The young officers were asleep within ten minutes, but the vigilant riflemen patrolled the country in a wide circuit about them. Sherburne himself, although worn by hard riding, slept but little. Anxiety kept his eyes open. He knew that his task to find a passage for the army across the swollen Potomac was of the utmost importance and he meant to achieve it. He understood to the full the dangerous position in which the chief army of the Confederacy stood. His own force might be attacked at any moment by overwhelming numbers and be cut off and destroyed or captured, but he also knew the quality of the men he led, and he believed they were equal to any task.
As he sat by the fire thinking somberly, a figure in the brush no great distance away was watching him. Shepard, the spy, in the darkness had passed with ease between the sentinels, using the skill of an Indian in stalking or approaching, and now, lying well hidden, almost flat upon his stomach, he surveyed the camp. He looked at Sherburne, sitting on a log and brooding, and he made out Harry's figure wrapped in a blanket and lying with his feet to the fire.
Shepard's mind was powerfully affected61. An intense patriot62, something remote and solitary63 in his nature had caused him to undertake this most dangerous of all trades, to which he brought an intellectual power and comprehension that few spies possess. As Harry had discovered long since, he was a most uncommon64 man.
Now Shepard as he gazed at this little group felt no hatred65 for them or their men. He had devoted his life to the task of keeping the union intact. His work must be carried out in obscure ways. He could never hope for material reward, and if he perished it would be in some out-of-the-way corner, perhaps at the end of a rope, a man known to so few that there would be none to forget him. And yet his patriotism66 was so great and of such a fine quality that he viewed his enemies around the fire as his brethren. He felt confident that the armies of the North would bring them back into the union, and when that occurred they must come as Americans on an equal footing with other Americans. They could not be in the union and not of it.
But Shepard's feeling for his official enemies would not keep him from acting67 against them with all the skill, courage and daring that he possessed68 in such supreme69 measure. He knew that it was Sherburne's task to open a way for the Army of Northern Virginia to the Potomac and to find a ford40, or, in cooperation with some other force, to build a bridge. It was for him to defeat the plan if he could.
While the rain all the day before had brought gloom to the hearts of Sherburne and his men it had filled his with joy, as he thought of the innumerable brooks and creeks that were pouring their swollen waters into the Potomac, already swollen too. He meant now to follow Sherburne's force, see what plan it would attempt, what point, perhaps, it would select for the bridge, and then bring the union brigades in haste to defeat it.
It is said that men often feel when they are watched, although the watcher is invisible, but it was not so in Sherburne's case. He did not in the least suspect the presence of Shepard or of any foe, and the spy, after he had seen all he wished, withdrew, with the same stealth that had marked his coming.
An hour after midnight all were awakened70 and they rode away. The next day they reached the Potomac near Williamsport, where their pontoon bridge had been destroyed, and looked upon the wide stream of the Potomac, far too deep for fording.
"If General Lee is attacked on the banks of this river by greatly superior forces," said Sherburne, "he'll have no time to build bridges. If we didn't happen to be victorious71 our forces would have to scatter72 into the mountains, where they could be hunted down, man by man."
"But such a thing as that is unthinkable, sir," said Harry. "We may not win always, but here in the East we never lose. Remember Antietam and the river at our back."
"Right you are, Harry," said Sherburne more cheerfully. "The general will get us out of this, and here is where we must cross. The river may run down enough in two or three days to permit of fording. God grant that it will!"
"And so say I!" repeated Harry with emphasis.
"I mean to hold this place for our army," continued Sherburne.
"A reserved seat, so to speak."
"Yes, that's it. We must keep the country cleared until our main force comes up. It shouldn't be difficult. I haven't heard of any considerable body of union troops between us and the river."
They made camp rapidly in a strong position, built their fires for cooking, set their horses to grazing and awaited what would come. It was a dry, clear night, and Harry, who had no duties, save to ride with a message at the vital moment, looked at once for his friends, the Invincibles.
St. Clair met him and held up a warning hand, while Happy touched his lip with his finger. Before the double injunction of silence and caution, Harry whispered:
"What's happened?"
"A tragedy," replied St. Clair.
"And a victory, too," said Happy Tom.
"I don't understand," said Harry.
"Then look and you will," said St. Clair.
He pointed to a small clear space in which Colonel Leonidas Talbot and Lieutenant-Colonel Hector St. Hilaire sat on their blankets facing each other with an empty cracker73 box between them, upon which their chess men were spread. The firelight plainly revealed a look of dismay upon the face of Colonel Talbot, and with equal plainness a triumphant74 expression upon that of Lieutenant-Colonel St. Hilaire.
"Colonel Talbot has lost his remaining knight," whispered St. Clair. "I don't know how it came about, but when the event occurred we heard them both utter a cry. Listen!"
"I fail even yet, Hector, to see just how it occurred." said Colonel Talbot.
"But it has occurred, Leonidas, and that's the main thing. A general in battle does not always know how he is whipped, but the whipping hurts just as much."
"You should not show too much elation75 over your triumph, Hector. Remember that he laughs best who laughs last."
"I take my laugh whenever I can, Leonidas, because no one knows who is going to laugh last. It may be that he who laughs in the present will also laugh at the end. What do you mean by that move, Leonidas?"
"That to you is a mystery, Hector. It's like one of Stonewall Jackson's flanking marches, and in due time the secret will be revealed with terrible results."
"Pshaw, Leonidas, you can't frighten a veteran like me. That for your move, and here's mine in reply."
The two gray heads bent lower over the board as the colonels made move after move. The youths standing76 in the shadow of the trees watched until the second time that night the two uttered a simultaneous cry. But they were very different in quality. Now Colonel Talbot's expressed victory and Lieutenant-Colonel St. Hilaire's consternation77.
"Your bishop78, Hector!" exclaimed Colonel Talbot. "Pious79 and able gentleman as he is, an honor to his cloth, he is nevertheless my captive."
"I admit that it was most unexpected, Leonidas. You have matched my victory with one of yours. It was indeed most skillful and I don't yet see what led to it."
"Did I not warn you a little while ago that you couldn't frighten me? I prepared a trap for you, and thus I rise from defeat to victory."
"At any rate we are about even on the evening's work, Leonidas, and we have made more progress than for the whole six months preceding. It seems likely now that we can finish our game soon."
A sudden crash of rifle fire toward the east and from a point not distant told them no. They rose to their feet, but they put the chessmen away very deliberately80, while the young officers hastened to their posts. The fire continued and spread about them in a half circle, accompanied now and then by the deeper note of a light field gun. Sherburne made his dispositions81 rapidly. All the men remained on foot, but a certain number were told off to hold the horses in the center of the camp.
"We're attacked by a large force," said Sherburne, "Our scouts82 gave us warning in time. Evidently they wish to drive us away from here because this will be the ford in case the river falls in time."
"Then you look for a sharp fight?"
"Without question. And remember that you're to avoid all risk if you can. It's not your business to get shot here, but it is your business, and your highly important business, to ride back to General Lee with the news of what's happening. In order to do that it's necessary for you to remain alive."
"I obey orders," said Harry reluctantly.
"Of course you do. Keep back with the men who are holding the horses. That fire is growing fast! I'm glad we were able to find a camp so defensible as this hill."
He hurried away to watch his lines and Harry remained at his station near the horses, where Dalton was compelled by the same responsibility to stay with him. It was the first time that Harry had been forced to remain a mere31 spectator of a battle raging around him, and while not one who sought danger for danger's sake, it was hard work to control himself and remain quiet and unmoved.
"I suspect they're trying to cut us off completely from our own army," he said to Dalton.
"Seems likely to me, too," said Dalton. "Wipe us out here, and hold the river for themselves. Our scouts assured us that there was no large force of the enemy in this region. It must have been gathered in great haste."
"In whatever way it was gathered, it's here, that's sure."
There was a good moon now, and, using his glasses, Harry saw many details of the battle. The attack was being pressed with great vigor83 and courage. He saw in a valley numerous bodies of cavalry, firing their carbines, and he saw two batteries, of eight light guns each, move forward for a better range. Soon their shells were exploding near the hill on which Harry stood, and the fire of the rifles, unbroken now, grew rapidly in volume.
But the men under Sherburne, youthful though most of them might be, were veterans. They knew every trick of war, and columns of infantry84 swept forward to meet the attack, preceded by the skirmishers, who took heavy toll85 of the foe.
"If they'd been able to make it a surprise they might have rushed us," said Harry.
"Nobody catches Sherburne sleeping," said Dalton.
"That's true, and because they can't they won't be able to overcome him here. Now there go our rifles! Listen to that crash. I fancy that about a thousand were fired together, and they weren't fired for nothing."
"No," said Dalton, "but the Yankees don't give way. You can see by their line of fire that they're still coming. Look there! A powerful body of horse is charging!"
It was unusual to see cavalry attack at night, and the spectacle was remarkable86, as the moonlight fell on the raised sabers. But the defiant87 rebel yell, long and fierce, rose from the thicket88, and, as the rifles crashed, the entire front of the charging column was burned away, as if by a stroke of lightning. But after a moment of hesitation89 they came on, only to ride deeper into a rifle fire which emptied saddles so fast that they were at last compelled to turn and gallop90 away.
"Brave men," said Harry. "A gallant charge, but it had to meet too many Southern rifles, aimed by men who know how to shoot."
"But their infantry are advancing through that wood," said Dalton. "Hear them cheering above the rifle fire!"
The Northern shout rang through the forest, and the rebel yell, again full of defiance91, replied. The cavalry had been driven off, but the infantry and artillery92 were far from beaten. The sixteen guns of the two batteries were massed on a hill and they began to sweep the Southern lines with a storm of shells and shrapnel. The forest and the dark were no protection, because the guns searched every point of the Southern line with their fire. Sherburne's men were forced to give ground, before cannon93 served with such deadly effect.
"What will the colonel do?" asked Dalton. "The big guns give the Yankees the advantage."
"He'll go straight to the heart of the trouble," said Harry. "He'll attack the guns themselves."
He did not know actually in what manner Sherburne would proceed, but he was quite sure that such would be his course. The wary94 Southern leader instantly detailed95 a swarm96 of his best riflemen to creep through the woods toward the cannon. In a few minutes the gunners themselves were under the fire of hidden marksmen who shot surpassingly well. The gunners, the cannoneers, the spongers, the rammers and the ammunition passers were cut down with deadly certainty.
The captain of the guns, knowing that the terrible rifle fire was coming from the thickets97, deluged98 the woods and bushes with shells and shrapnel, but the riflemen lay close, hugging the ground, and although a few were killed and more wounded, the vast majority crept closer and closer, shooting straight and true in the moonlight. The fire from the batteries became scattered99 and wild. Their crews were cut down so fast that not enough men were left to work the guns, and their commander reluctantly gave the order to withdraw to a less exposed position.
"Rifles triumphant over artillery," said Harry, who studied everything through his glasses; "but of course the dusk helped the riflemen."
"That's true," said Dalton, "but it takes good men like Sherburne to use the favoring chances. Now our boys are charging!"
The tremendous rebel yell swelled100 through the forest, and the Southern infantry rushed to the attack. Harry saw that the charge was successful, and his ears told him so too. The firing moved further and further away, and soon declined in volume.
"They've been beaten off," said Harry.
"At least for the time," said Dalton, "but I've an idea they'll hang on our front and may attack again in a day or so."
"How then are you and I to get through and tell General Lee that this is the place to bridge the Potomac, if it's to be bridged at all?"
Dalton shook his head.
"I don't know," he replied, "and I won't think about it until Colonel Sherburne gives his orders."
The sounds of battle died in the distant woods. The last shot, whether from cannon or rifle, was fired, and the Southern troops returned to their positions, which they began to fortify101 strongly. Sherburne appeared presently, his uniform cut by bullets in two or three places, but his body untouched. He drew Harry and Dalton aside, where their words could not be heard by anybody else.
"You two," he said, "were to report to General Lee when I thought fit. Well, the time has come; Harry, you go first, and, at a suitable moment, George will follow. We have news of surpassing importance. We took a number of prisoners in that battle and we were also lucky enough to rescue several of our men who had been held as captives. We've learned from them that General Meade, after making up his mind to pursue, followed straight behind us for a while, but he has now turned and gone southward in the direction of Frederick. He will cross South Mountain, advance toward Sharpsburg, and attempt to smash us here, with our backs to this swollen river. Why, some of the Federal leaders consider the Army of Northern Virginia as good as destroyed already!"
He spoke with angry emphasis.
"But it isn't," said Harry.
"No, it isn't. Doubtless General Lee will learn from scouts of his own of General Meade's flanking movement, but we mustn't take the chance. Moreover, we must tell him that this is the place for our army to cross. If the river runs down in two or three days we'll have a ford here."
"I'm ready to go at any moment," said Harry. "Night helping102 me, I may be able to ride through the lines of our enemies out there."
"No, Harry, you must not go that way. They're so vigilant that you would not have any possible chance. Nor can you ride. You must leave your horse behind."
"What way then must I go, sir?"
"By the river. We have gathered up a few small boats, used at the crossing here. You can row, can't you?"
"Fairly well, sir."
"'Twill do, because you're not to stay in the boat long. I want you to drop down the stream until you're well beyond the Federal lines. Then leave the boat and strike out across the country for General Lee. You know the way. You can buy or seize a horse, and you must not fail."
"I will not fail," said Harry confidently.
"You'll succeed if anybody will, and now you must be off. Your pistols are loaded, Harry? You may have to use them."
They did not delay a minute, going down the shelving shore to the Potomac, where a man held a small boat against the bank.
"Get in, Harry," said Sherburne. "You'd better drop down three or four miles, at least. Good-by and good luck."
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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9
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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10
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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11
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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12
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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13
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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14
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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15
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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16
saluting
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的现在分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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17
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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18
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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19
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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20
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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21
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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22
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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23
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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25
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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26
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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27
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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28
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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29
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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30
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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31
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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32
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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33
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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34
foamy
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| adj.全是泡沫的，泡沫的，起泡沫的 | |
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35
creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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36
brooks
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| n.小溪( brook的名词复数 ) | |
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37
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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38
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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39
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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40
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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41
cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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42
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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43
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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45
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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46
omniscient
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| adj.无所不知的；博识的 | |
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47
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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48
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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49
supercilious
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| adj.目中无人的，高傲的；adv.高傲地；n.高傲 | |
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50
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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51
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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52
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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53
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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54
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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55
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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56
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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57
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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58
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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59
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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60
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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61
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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62
patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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63
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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64
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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65
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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66
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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67
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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69
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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70
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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71
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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72
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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73
cracker
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| n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干 | |
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74
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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75
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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76
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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77
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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78
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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79
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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80
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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81
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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82
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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83
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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84
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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85
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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86
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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87
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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88
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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89
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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90
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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91
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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92
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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93
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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94
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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95
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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96
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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97
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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98
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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99
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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100
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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101
fortify
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| v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化 | |
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102
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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103
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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