heart, which thumped against his ribs with a noise that frightened him,
would certainly reveal to the rebels the fact that the "rascally Yank"
was then in their immediate vicinity.

"But, if our plans work," continued the colonel, "in less than a week
from this time they will all be on the way to Shreveport."

"May I ask, colonel," said the one who had not yet spoken, "how soon
those boats will be ready?"

"Major Jackson reports that they will be finished by to-morrow night,
and it will take all of one day to run them down the creek to the
river."

"Then by Thursday evening," said the one who had first spoken, "we may
be ready to make the attempt."

"Yes, if the night is favorable."

"But, colonel, all these gun-boats are supplied with hot water, and
that, you know, is the worst kind of an enemy to fight. Men will run
from that who wouldn't flinch before cold steel."

"Oh, we must take the Yanks by surprise, of course. The boats will hold
fifty men each, and we must drop down the river so that we will land one
on each side of the vessel. If the night is dark--and we shall not make
the attempt unless it is--we can get within pistol-shot of her before we
are discovered, and by the time their men get fairly out of bed she's
ours. Hark! what noise was that?"