f with his comrades, wading
a creek, and they plunged into the woods and thickets which blazed with
the fire of South and North. A Confederate general was killed here, but
the brave Bowen still kept his division in order, and made the pursuit
pay a heavy cost for all its gain.

Dick saw besides the Confederate column many irregulars in the woods,
skilled sharpshooters, who began to sting them on the flank and bring
down many a good soldier. He caught a glimpse of a man who was urging
on the riflemen and who seemed to be their leader. He recognized Slade,
and, without a moment's hesitation, fired at him with his pistol. But
the man was unhurt and Slade's return bullet clipped a lock of Dick's
hair.

Then they lost each other in the smoke and turmoil of the battle, and,
despite the energy of the pursuit by the Union leaders, they could not
break up the command of Bowen. The valiant Southerner not only made good
his retreat, but broke down behind him the bridge over a deep river,
thus saving for a time the fragments of Pemberton's army.

The Winchester regiment marched back to the battlefield, and Dick saw
that the victory had been overwhelming. Nearly a third of the Southern
army had been lost and thirty cannon were the trophies of Grant. Yet the
fighting had been desperate. The dead and wounded were so numerous that
the veteran soldiers who had been at Shiloh and Stone River called it
"The Hill of Death."

Dick saw Grant walking over the field and he wondered what his feelings
were. Although its full result was beyond him he knew, nevertheless,
that Champion Hill was a great victory. At one stroke of his sword Grant
had cut apart the circle of his foes.

Dick came back from the pursuit with Colonel Winchester. He had lost
sight of Warner and Pennington in the turmoil, but he believed that they
would reappear unhurt. They had passed through so many battles now that
it did not occur to him that any of the three would be killed. They
might be wounded, of course, as they had been already, but fate would
play them no such scurvy trick as to slay them.

"What will be the next step, Colonel?" asked Dick, as they stood
together upon the victorious hill.

"Depends upon what Johnston and Pemberton do. Pemberton, I'm sure, will
retreat to Vicksburg, but Johnston, if he can prevent it, won't let his
army be shut up there. Still, they may not be able to communicate, and
if they should Pemberton may disobey the far abler Johns