head and with the same story. He had been ambushed at
the crossing of a ravine full of small cedars, and the highwayman was
undoubtedly the same, too, a big, powerful fellow, as bold as you please."

Harry's pulse throbbed hard for a few moments, when he first heard
mention of the man. The description, not only physical, but of manner
and action as well, answered perfectly. He had not the slightest doubt
that it was Shepard.

"A daring deed," said General Lee. "We must see that it is not repeated."

"But that wasn't all of the tale, sir. While the second man was sitting
on the bank, nursing his broken head, the Yankee Dick Turpin read the
dispatch and saw that it was a duplicate of the first. He became red-hot
with wrath, and talked furiously about the extra and unnecessary work
that General Early was forcing upon him. He ended by cramming the
dispatch into the man's hands, directing him to take it back, and to tell
General Early to stop his foolishness. The aide was a bit dazed from the
blow he received and he delivered that message word for word. Why, sir,
General Early exploded. People who have heard him swear for years and
who know what an artist he is in swearing, heard him then utter swear
words that they had never heard before, words invented on the spur of the
moment, and in the heat of passion, words full of pith and meaning."

"And that was all, I suppose?"

"Not by any means, sir. General Early picked two sharpshooters and sent
them with another copy of the dispatch. They passed the place of the
first hold-up, and next the ravine without seeing anybody. But as they
were riding some distance further on both of their horses were killed by
shots from a small clump of pines. Before they could regain their feet
Dick Turpin came out and covered them with his rifle--it seems that he
had one of those new repeating weapons.

"The men saw that his eye was so keen and his hand so steady that they
did not dare to move a hand to a pistol. Then as he looked down the
sights of his rifle he lectured them. He told them they were foolish to
come that way, when the two who came before them had found out that it
was a closed road. He said that real soldiers learned by experience,
and would not try again to do what they had learned to be impossible.

"Then he said that after all they were not to blame, as they had been
sent by General Early, and he made one of them who had the stub of a
pencil write on the