There remains, therefore, no time for any long detour; the messenger
who bears it must take his life in his hands and ride straight westward
through the very lines of the enemy."

He spoke these words rapidly, earnestly; then suddenly he lifted his
eyes to mine, and said firmly: "I am perfectly frank with you. Are you
the man?"

I felt the hot blood leap into my face, but I met his stern gaze
without flinching.

"If I live, General Lee, I shall meet his advance at Bear Fork by
daybreak."

"God guide you; I believe you will."

His words seemed uttered unconsciously. He turned slightly, and glanced
toward the door. "Major Holmes, will you kindly hand me the draft of
that despatch?"

He took the paper from the outstretched hand of the aide, read it over
slowly and with great care, wrote a word of explanation upon the
margin, and then extended it to me.

"Commit that, word by word, to your memory; we must run no possible
risk of its ever falling into the enemy's hands."

I can see it now, that coarse yellow paper,--the clear, upright
penmanship, the words here and there misused and corrected, the
sentence scratched out, the heavy underlining of a command, and his own