"Who is there? Halt!" sharply cried one of them, an officer.
But St. Clair cried also:

"Run, Harry! Run for your life, and keep to the bushes!"

The two dashed at utmost speed down the strip of bushes and they heard
the thunder of horses' hoofs in the open on either flank. A half dozen
shots were fired and the bullets cut leaves and twigs about them.
They heard the Northern men shouting: "Spies! Spies! After them!
Seize them!"

Harry in the moment of extreme danger retained his presence of mind: "To
the cornfield, Arthur!" he cried to his comrade. "The fence is staked
and ridered, and their horses can't jump it. If they stop to pull it
down they will give us time to get away!"

"Good plan!" returned St. Clair. "But we'd better bend down as we run.
Those bullets make my flesh creep!"

A fresh volley was sent into the bushes, but owing to the wise
precaution of bending low, the bullets went over their heads, although
Harry felt his hair rising up to meet them. In two or three minutes
they were at the fence, and they went over it almost like birds.
Harry heard two bullets hit the rails as they leaped--they were in
view then for a moment--but they merely increased his speed, as he and
St. Clair darted side by side through the corn, bending low again.

They heard the horsemen talking and swearing at the barrier, and then
they heard the beat of hoofs again.

"They'll divide and send a force around the field each way!" said
St. Clair.

"And some of them will dismount and pursue us through it on foot!"

"We can distance anybody on foot. Harry, when I heard those bullets
whistling about me I felt as if I could outrun a horse, or a giraffe,
or an antelope, or anything on earth! And thunder, Harry, I feel the
same way now!"

Bullets fired from the fence made the ploughed land fly not far from
them, and they lengthened their stride. Harry afterward said that
he did not remember stepping on that cornfield more than twice.
Fortunately for them the field, while not very wide, extended far to
right and left, and the pursuing horsemen were compelled to make a
great circuit.

Before the thudding hoofs came near they were over the fence again, and,
still with wonderful powers of flight, were scudding across the country
toward their own lines. They came to one of the clusters of trees and
dashing into it lay close, their hearts pounding. Looking back they
dimly saw the horsemen, riding at random, evidently at