every bush and dwarfed tree on the
slopes, and never exposing themselves, except for a moment or two.
Had there not been so many sharpshooters among the Winchester men they
might have escaped almost without any damage, but for some of the deadly
riflemen in the valley a single glimpse was enough. Nevertheless Colonel
Winchester's dissatisfaction remained. He felt that a force such as his,
which had come forth to do so much, should do it, and he ransacked his
brain for a plan.

"Mr. Reed," he said to the mountaineer, who had remained with him,
"do you think we could send a detachment through the pass down the stream
and take them in the rear? That is, this force might climb the slopes
behind them, and attack from above?"

The mountaineer chewed his tobacco thoughtfully, looked up at the ridges,
and then at the gorge down which they could hear the waters of the little
creek rushing.

"It's a big risk," he replied, "but I 'low it kin be done, though you'll
hev to pick your men, colonel. You let me be guide and be shore to send
the sergeant, 'cause he's a full fo'-hoss team all by hisself. An'
Mr. Shepard ought to go along too. All the others ought to be youngsters,
an' spose you let Mr. Mason here lead 'em."

Colonel Winchester did not resent at all these suggestions, which he knew
to be excellent, and, while at first, for personal reasons of his own,
he hesitated about sending Dick on so perilous an errand, he knew that
he was better fitted for it than any other young officer in his command,
and so he chose him. The plan, too, appealed to him strongly. He had
taken lessons from the grand tactics of Lee and Jackson. Lee would keep
up a great demonstration in front, while Jackson, circling in silence,
would strike a tremendous and deadly blow on the flank. The longer he
thought about it the more he was pleased with it. If the flanking
force could cut through the gorge the prospect of success was good, and
fortunately the night had turned darker, the snow clouds reappearing.

The colonel picked one hundred and fifty of his best men, with Shepard,
Reed and Whitley to guide, and Dick to lead them. Warner and Pennington
protested when they were not allowed to go, but the colonel quieted them
with the assurance that they would soon have plenty of dangerous work to
do in the valley. To Dick he said gravely:

"Before now you've nearly always been a staff officer and messenger,
and this is the most important comm