away to be reached by anything but artillery.
The slow, deep music of the Northern guns came steadily to his ear, but
their fire was always turned toward Vicksburg.

Dick knew that his position was extremely critical. Perhaps it was
growing more so all the while, but he was never cooler. A quiet lad, he
always rose wonderfully to an emergency. He was quite sure that he
was among Mississippi troops, and they could not possibly know all the
soldiers from the other states gathered for the defense of Vicksburg. He
did not differ from those around him in any respect, except that he did
not carry a rifle.

He paused and looked back thoughtfully at the distant Union troops.

"Can you tell me how they're posted?" he said to a tall, thin
middle-aged man who had a chew of tobacco in his cheek. "I carry
dispatches to General Pemberton, and the more information I can give him
the better."

"Yes, I kin tell you," replied the man, somewhat flattered. "They're
posted everywhere. What, with their army and them boats of theirs in the
river, they've got a high fence around us, all staked and ridered."

"It doesn't take any more work to tear a fence down than it does to
build it up."

"I reckon you're right thar, stranger. But was you at Champion Hill?"

"No, I missed that."

"Then it was a good thing for you that you did. I didn't set much store
by the Yanks when this war began. One good Southerner could whip five of
'em any time, our rip-roarin', fire-eatin' speech-makers said. I knowed
then, too, that they was right, but I was up thar in Kentucky a while,
an' after Donelson I reckoned that four was about as many as I wanted
to tackle all to oncet. Then thar was Shiloh, an' I kinder had a thought
that if three of 'em jumped on me at one time I'd hev my hands purty
full to lick 'em. Then come Corinth, an,' reasonin' with myself, I said
I wouldn't take on more'n two Yanks at the same time. An' now, since
I've been at Champion Hill, I know that the Yank is a pow'ful good
fighter, an' I reckon one to one jest about suits me, an' even then I'd
like to have a leetle advantage in the draw."

"I feel that way about it, too. The Yankees are going to make a heap
of trouble for us here. But I must be going. What's the best path into
Vicksburg?"

"See that little openin' in the bushes. Follow it. Jest over the hill
you'll run into a passel of our fellers, but pay no 'tention to 'em. If
they ask you who you are an' whar you're boun' tell