guns ready to use in case there is any interference, but don't fire unless
you must. After the train has started...."

He paused; then, with a gesture which told them that he would not even try
to guess what might happen, he added: "We will succeed or leave our bones
in Dixie! That is all I can tell you. Tonight, before you go to sleep,
examine your guns and make sure that they are not clogged or rusty."

The meeting was over, and each man, as he stepped from the room, realized
that he was on the verge of a great adventure. They made their way silently
along the dark corridors of the hotel.

"I'm about ready to explode," said Tom. "Think of it! I'm going to be
fireman!"

"I'll make you heave wood so fast that you'll be sorry for that trick you
played in Chattanooga," replied Brown. "Did I tell you about that, Knight?"

Knight, Brown, Dorsey, Wilson, and Tom were all occupying the same room.
The hotel at Marietta was crowded, and the men were sleeping wherever they
could squeeze themselves in. Tom, Dorsey, and Brown, having had several
nights of good rest, had relinquished the bed and sofa to the three
newcomers, and had spread blankets on the floor.

"Let's lock the door, and look at our guns," suggested Tom. The lock was
broken, and so he barred the door with a chair. Then they sat on the bed,
with the lamp beside them, and talked while they unloaded their revolvers,
wiped away the rust and mud, and reloaded. Each told of his experiences and
narrow escapes. Knight had been arrested as a deserter from the Confederate
army. Wilson and Shadrack had stolen a ferryboat and crossed the Tennessee