aders have made a mess of their affairs in the West and Southwest, and
General Grant is taking full advantage of it."

"Do we attack in the morning, sir?"

"We do, Dick, though not by land. Porter, with his seven gunboats, is
going to open on the fort, but it will be a hazardous undertaking."

"Because of the nature of the river, sir?"

"That's it. They can't anchor, and with full steam up, caught in all the
violent eddies that the river makes rounding the point, they'll have to
fire as best they can."

"But the gunboats did great work at Fort Henry, sir."

"So they did, Dick, and we've come a long way South since then, which
means that we're making progress and a lot of it here in the West. Well,
we'll see to-morrow."

They walked back to their own camp and sleep came to Dick at last. But
he awoke early and found that the thrill of expectation was running
through the whole army. Their position did not yet enable them to attack
on land, but far out on the river they saw the gunboats moving. Porter,
the commander, divided them into two groups. Four of the gunboats were
to attack the lower circle of batteries and three were to pour their
fire upon the upper ring.

Dick by day even more than by night recognized the difficulty of the
task. Before them flowed the vast swift current of the Mississippi,
gleaming now in the sunshine, and beyond were the frowning bluffs,
crested and ringed with cannon. Grant had with him twenty thousand men
and his seven gunboats, and Bowen, eight thousand troops. But if the
affair lasted long other Southern armies would surely come.

Dick and his comrades had little to do but watch and thousands watched
with them. When the sun was fully risen the seven boats steamed out in
two groups, four farther down the river in order to attack the lower
batteries, while the other three up the stream would launch their fire
against those on the summit.

He watched the crest of the cliffs. He saw plainly through his glasses
the muzzles of cannon and men moving about the batteries. Then there
was a sudden blaze of fire and column of smoke and a shell struck in the
water near one of the gunboats. The boat replied and its comrades also
sent shot and shell toward the frowning summit. Then the batteries, both
lower and upper, replied with full vigor and all the cliffs were wrapped
in fire and smoke.

The boats steamed in closer and closer, pouring an incessant fire from
their heavy guns, and both ring