t's Sherburne leading them!"

"So it is!" exclaimed Harry, and he rode forward joyfully. Sherburne
gave all three of them a warm welcome, but he was far from cheerful. He
led a dozen troopers and they, like himself, were covered with dust
and were drooping with weariness. It was evident to Harry that they had
ridden far and hard, and that they did not bring good news.

"Well, Harry," said Sherburne, still attempting the gay air, "chance has
brought us together again, and I should judge from your appearance that
you've come a long way, bringing nothing particularly good."

"It's so. George and I have been riding all night. We were in Manassas
Gap and we learned definitely that Shields is coming through the pass
with ten thousand men."

"Fine," said Sherburne with a dusty smile. "Ten thousand is a good round
number."

"And if we'll give him time enough," continued Harry, "McDowell will
come with twice as many more."

"Look's likely," said Sherburne.

"We've been riding back toward Jackson as fast as we could," continued
Harry, "and a little while ago Aubrey riding the same way overtook us."

"And what have you seen, Aubrey?" asked Sherburne.

"I? Oh, I've seen a lot. I've been down by Front Royal in the night,
and I've seen Ord with ten thousand men coming full tilt down the Luray
Valley."

"What another ten thousand! It's funny how the Yankees run to even tens
of thousands, or multiples of that number."

"I've heard," said Harry, "that the force under Banks and Saxton in
front of Jackson was ten thousand also."

"I'm sorry, boys, to break up this continuity," said Sherburne with
a troubled laugh, "but it's fifteen thousand that I've got to report.
Fremont is coming from the west with that number. We've seen 'em. I've
no doubt that at this moment there are nearly fifty thousand Yankees in
the valley, with more coming, and all but ten thousand of them are in
General Jackson's rear."

It seemed that Sherburne, daring cavalryman, had lost his courage for
the moment, but the faith of the stern Presbyterian youth, Dalton, never
faltered.

"As I told Harry a little while ago, we have at least fifty thousand
men," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Sherburne.

"I count Stonewall Jackson as forty thousand, and the rest will bring
the number well over fifty thousand."

Sherburne struck his gauntleted hand smartly on his thigh.

"You talk sense, Dalton!" he exclaimed. "I was foolish to despair! I
forgot how