. "He may have played the spy; so have I; but sneak he is not,
and I would thank you not to use the term again, traitor though he is to
the South and his native state."

Conway glared at him for a moment, but there was something in Calhoun's
eye which told him that if he repeated the term it might cause trouble, so
he snapped: "Well, spy and traitor, if those terms suit you better; but it
may be of interest to you to know that I have sworn to see that precious
cousin of yours hanged, and"--with a fearful oath--"I will see that he is."

With these words he turned on his heel and stalked away.

"Shackelford's name has the same effect on Conway that a red rag has on a
mad bull," laughed Morgan. "He can never forget that trick your cousin
played on him."

"Ah! I remember," said Calhoun; "Fred told me all about it. Conway may
take a dislike to me simply because I am Fred's cousin. I noticed that he
greeted me rather coldly."

"I reckon he will not carry his hatred so far as that," replied Morgan,
"yet it may be best not to mention Shackelford's name to him."

But Morgan might have changed his mind if he had heard Conway talking to a
brother officer.

"Just to think," he fumed, "that the Captain picked on that young upstart
to go back to Kentucky to recruit instead of one of us. I volunteered to
go yesterday, and he put me down. To my mind, Pennington is no better than
that sneak of a cousin of his, and Morgan will find it out some day."

"Better keep a still tongue in your head, Conway," dryly replied the
officer, a Captain Matthews, to whom Conway was complaining. "Morgan will
give you hell if he finds you are trying to create dissatisfaction."

"I am not afraid of Morgan," muttered Conway, but he said no more.

In the mean time Calhoun was hurriedly making preparations for his
journey. Many of the officers and men were engaged in writing letters to
send back by him to the dear ones in Kentucky. Morgan intrusted to him
several important communications to prominent Southern sympathizers.

Just as Calhoun was ready to start, Morgan gave him his secret
instructions.

"What I now tell you," he said, "is too important to commit to writing.
You may be captured. For hundreds of miles you must ride through a country
swarming with Yankees. You will need discretion, as much or more than you
will need courage. Much depends on your success. I intend to make a raid
north about the first week in May. If possible (and I think