come to Washington with his father for a stay
of several weeks, and he had a fair acquaintance with the region about
the capital. He knew that forested hills lay ahead of him and beyond
them the Potomac.

In another hour he was in the hills, which he found without people.
Through every opening in the leaves he saw Washington and he could also
discern long lines of redoubts on the Virginia side of the river.

Late in the afternoon he came to a small, abandoned log cabin. He
inferred that its owner had moved away because of the war. As nearly as
he could judge it had not been occupied for several weeks. Back of it
was a small meadow enclosed with a rail fence, but everything else was
deep woods. He turned his horse into the meadow and left his saddle,
bridle and saddle blanket in the house. He might not find anything when
he returned, but he must take the risk.

Then he set off at a brisk pace through the woods, which opened out a
little after dusk, and disclosed a great pillared white house, with
surrounding outbuildings. He knew at once that this was Arlington,
the home of one of the Southern generals, Lee, of whom he had heard his
father speak well.

But he also saw, despite the dusk, blue uniforms and the gleam of
bayonets. And as he looked he saw, too, earthworks and the signs that
many men were present. He lay long among the bushes until the night
thickened and darkened and he resolved to inspect the earthworks
thoroughly. No very strict watch seemed to be kept, and, in truth,
it did not seem to be needed here so near to Washington, and so far
away from the Southern army.

Before ten o'clock everything settled into quiet, and he cautiously
climbed a great beech which was in full and deep foliage. The boughs
were so many and the leaves so dense that one standing directly under
him could not have seen him. But he went up as far as he could go, and,
crouched there, made a comprehensive survey.

It was a fine moonlight night and he saw the earthworks stretching for a
long distance, thorough and impregnable to anything except a great army.
Beyond that was a silver band which was the Potomac, and beyond the
river were the clustered roofs which were Washington. But he turned his
eyes back to the earthworks, and he tried to fasten firmly in his mind
their number and location. This, too, would be important news, most
welcome to Beauregard.

The boy's elation grew. They had given him a delicate and dang