bowed, and he stroked the horse's neck mechanically.

"I dare not go back now in hopes of getting into communication with General
Mitchel. It would never do to leave my men scattered about the country,
waiting for me to return. Do you men, from your experience, think that the
General can reach Huntsville on Friday?"

Wilson was first to answer. "I don't think so," he said. "Some of the
forces might reach there in time, but I don't think the General can
concentrate at Huntsville for an attack before Saturday. Not with this mud
to wade through."

"I agree with Wilson, sir," said Shadrack.

The three men turned to Tom. He felt suddenly embarrassed. Three veterans
asking him, a soldier of one day's campaigning, for an opinion! "From what
I've heard of General Mitchel," he said, "I think he will do whatever he
says he will do--even if he has to attack Beauregard's army single handed."
Then he added, as though to explain away what he had said: "But that is
nothing more than my opinion of the man. I ... I enlisted just yesterday."

"Yesterday!" exclaimed the three older men.

"Yes. My cousin was going on the raid, but he sprained his ankle. I came to
enlist, and I begged the Captain to send me."

"I see," answered Andrews, studying him. After a moment he plunged again
into consideration of the problems which lay before him. "I am going ahead
on the theory that Mitchel will be one day late in reaching Huntsville," he
said at last. "We must find all the men and tell them, so that there will