eplied:

"Right you are, Billy. We ride now as if the woods were burning behind
us."

Billy was first in the saddle and led the way. The horses had gained
a good rest, while Harry and Dalton were stalking the troopers in the
valley, and, after they had made the descent of the slope, they swung
into a long easy gallop across the level.

The little lad still kept his place in front. Neither of the others
would have deprived him of this honor which he deserved so well. He sat
erect, swinging with his horse, and he showed no sign of weariness. They
took no precautions now to evade a possible meeting with the enemy. What
they needed was haste, haste, always haste. They must risk everything
to carry the news to Jackson. A mere half hour might mean the difference
between salvation and destruction.

Harry felt the great tension of the moment. The words of the Northern
officers had made him understand what he already suspected. The whole
fate of the Confederacy would waver in the balance on the morrow. If
Jackson were surrounded and overpowered, the South would lose its right
arm. Then the armies that engulfed him would join McClellan and pour
forward in an overwhelming host on Richmond.

Their hoofbeats rang in a steady beat on the road, as they went forward
on that long easy gallop which made the miles drop swiftly behind them.
The skies brightened, and the great stars danced in a solid sheet of
blue. They were in the gently rolling country, and occasionally they
passed a farmhouse. Now and then, a watchful dog barked at them, but
they soon left him and his bark behind.

Harry noticed that Billy's figure was beginning to waver slightly, and
he knew that weariness and the lack of sleep were at last gaining the
mastery over his daring young spirit. It gave him relief, as it solved a
problem that had been worrying him. He rode up by the side of Billy, but
he said nothing. The boy's eyelids were heavy and the youthful figure
was wavering, but it was in no danger of falling. Billy could have
ridden his horse sound asleep.

Harry presently saw the roof of Mrs. Pomeroy's house showing among the
trees.

"It's less than half a mile to your house, Billy," he said.

"But I'm not going to stop there. I'm goin' on with you to General
Jackson, an' I'm goin' to help him fight the Yankees."

Harry was silent, but when they galloped up to the Pomeroy house, Billy
was nearly asleep.

The door sprang open as they approached, and th