which, in the passes in the hills, came down to the road, disputing
the passageway, while in the shallow valleys lay the open fields and
marshes. A dreary country withal, but where a small body of troops
could hold the passes in the hills against many hundreds and make good
their defence.

We passed through the defile in the first range of hills, crossed the
low valley, and then, after passing through the second defile, we had
only to cross the one before us to be on the heights overlooking the
enemy's position at Freehold.

As we approached this last pass in the hills we were surprised to see
a steady stream of our troops coming back in disorder through the gap.
The men were retreating doggedly in broken ranks, and turning, as they
trudged along, to look back, as if with half a mind to return.

As they came streaming past our advance I called to a sergeant, an old
backwoodsman whose courage I knew, and asked him of the battle and why
he was not fighting.

"Fight?" he cried indignantly, "why, damn it, Lieutenant, they will
not let us fight. They ordered us to retreat before a musket was
fired."

At that moment Captain Mercer, an aide of the staff of General Lee,
rode up to Colonel Ramsay, who was near me.

He delivered an order rapidly, and then I heard Ramsay's voice ring
out angrily. "Retreat?" he cried. "By whose order?"

"By the order of General Lee."

"But," he protested hotly, "we have not seen the enemy yet."

Mercer shrugged his shoulders. "I only carry the order," he said.

The stream of fugitives grew rapidly, becoming more disorderly,
showing at every step the spread of the panic and the rout, as Colonel
Ramsay stopped the advance and gave the order to retreat.

Slowly and reluctantly we obeyed, and as we retired through the second
pass in the hills we saw the British gain the opposite ridge and
advance with cheers on the disorderly flying mass in the sandy valley
behind.

Every moment the press of the fugitives grew greater, and though we
still maintained our formation and marched as on parade the retreat
had turned into a rout. On every side and in our rear the broken
ranks of the army poured past, demoralised and in despair, and ever
nearer came the musketry and the cheers of the advancing English.

"They will catch us before we get through the gap," said Dick, looking
at the pass in front of us.

"Then we will fight anyhow," I replied, "and General Lee can go to the
devil."

Whereupon