Andrews was an adroit student of men. No speech could have better served
his purpose of inducing his followers to remain with him. It was as if he
declared: "You may all desert me, but _I_ will remain true to my flag."

"You can count on me to the very last," said Watson stoutly. He was always
ready to face danger, but he liked to have the privilege of grumbling at
times. In his heart, too, was a conviction that his leader was about to
play a very desperate game. The chances were all against them.

"Thank you, Watson," answered Andrews, gratefully. "I never could doubt
your bravery. And are the rest of you willing?"

There were hearty murmurs of assent from Jenks, George and Macgreggor.
Jenks and the boy were very sanguine; Macgreggor was rather skeptical as
to future success, but he sternly resolved to banish all doubts from his
mind.

"Well, George," said Andrews, as he was about to leave the room, "if you
get through this railroad ride in safety you will have something
interesting to remember all your life." In another moment he had gone. The
time for action had almost arrived.

CHAPTER V

ON THE RAIL

At an early hour the next morning, just before daylight, the conspirators
were standing on the platform of the Marietta station, awaiting the
arrival of their train--the train which they hoped soon to call theirs in
reality. They were all in civilian dress; even Walter Jenks had contrived
to discard his uniform of a Confederate officer, regarding it as too
conspicuous, and he was habited in an ill-fitting suit which made him look
like an honest, industrious mechanic.

Andrews was pacing up and down with an anxious, resolute face. He realized
that the success of the manoeuvre which they were about to execute rested
upon his own shoulders, but he had no idea of flinching. "Before night has
come," he was thinking confidently, "we shall be within the lines of
General Mitchell, and soon all America will be ringing with the story of
our dash."

George, no less sanguine, was standing near Watson and Macgreggor, and
occasionally slipping a lump of sugar into the overcoat pocket which
served as a sort of kennel for the tiny Waggie. There was nothing about
the party to attract undue attention. They pretended, for the most part,
to be strangers one to another, and, to aid in the deception, they had
bought railroad tickets for different places--for Kingston, Adairsville,
Calhoun and other stations to the northwa