half a head, Mr. Mason, but he has a great soul for battle. He's the
kind that will strike and strike, and keep on striking, and that's the
kind we need now."

"Here are our own men just ahead. I see the three colonels riding
together."

They went forward swiftly and told what they had seen, Shepard also
describing the nature of the ground ahead, and the manner in which the
two roads converged.

"Which column do you think will reach the junction first?" asked Colonel
Hertford.

"They'll come to it about the same time," replied Shepard.

"And so a clash is unavoidable. It was not our purpose to fight before
we reached General Sheridan, but since the enemy wants it, it must be
that way."

Orders were issued for the column to advance as quietly as possible,
while skirmishers were thrown out to prevent any ambush. Shepard rode
again into the forest but Dick remained with Warner and Pennington.
Warner as usual was as cool as ice, and spoke in the precise, scholarly
way that he liked.

"We march parallel with the enemy," he said, "and yet we're bound to meet
him and fight. It's a beautiful mathematical demonstration. The roads
are not parallel in an exact sense but converge to a point. Hence,
it is not our wish, but the convergence of these roads that brings us