they came up, gathered around their fallen comrades.

Harry ran back to where the stranger was, as rapidly as the clinging mud
and the steep hillside would permit him.

"Purty fa'r shot that," said the stranger, setting down the heavy rifle
he was carefully reloading, and extending his hand cordially as Harry
came panting up. "That's what I call mouty neat shooting--knock yer man
over at 150 yards, down hill, with that ole smooth-bore, and without no
rest. The oldest han' at the business couldn't've done no better."

Harry was too much agitated to heed the compliment to his marksmanship.
He looked back anxiously and asked:

"Are they coming on yet?"

"Skacely they hain't," said the stranger, with a very obvious sneer.
"Skacely they hain't comin' on no more. They've hed enuff, they hev. Two
of their best men dropt inter blue blazes on the first jump will take
all the aidge off ther appetite for larks. I know 'em."

"But they will come on. They'll pursue us. They'll never let us go now,"
said Harry, reloading his gun with hands trembling from the exertion and
excitement.

He was yet too young a soldier to understand that his enemy's fright
might be greater than his own.

"Nary a time they won't," said the stranger, derisively. "Them fellers
are jest like Injuns; they're red-hot till one or two gits knocked over,
an' then they cool down mouty suddent. Why, me an' two others stopt
the whole of Zollicoffer's army for two days by shootin' the officer in
command of the advance-guard jest ez they war a-comin' up the hill this
side of Barboursville. Fact! They'd a' been at Wildcat last Friday ef we
hedn't skeered 'em so. They stopt an' hunted the whole country round for
bushwhackers afore they'd move ary other step."

"But who are you?" asked Harry, looking again at his companion's
butternut garb.

"I'm called Long Jim Forner, an' I've the name o' bein' the pizenest
Union man in the Rockassel Mountains. Thar's a good s'tifkit o' my
p'litical principles" (pointing with his thumb to where lay the men who
had felln under their bullets). Harry looked again in that direction.
Part of the squad were looking apprehensively toward him, as if they
feared a volley from bushwhackers concealed near him, and others
were taking from the bodies of the dead the weapons, belts, and other
articles which it was not best to leave for the pursuers, and still
others were pointing to the rapidly growing distance between them and
main body,