rder of that type. He was bold in those encounters where he knew that
his superior strength and agility rendered small the chances of his
receiving any serious bodily harm, but of that high pride and mounting
spirit which lead to soldierly deeds he had none.

The sight of the dying men on each side shriveled his heart with a
deadly panic.

"O, Kent," he groaned, "Lemme go, and let's git out o' here. This's just
awful, and it'll be ten times wuss in another minnit. Let's git behind
that big rock there, as quick as the Lord'll let us."

He turned to pull away from Kent's detaining hand, when he heard Captain
Bennett's order to the regiment to charge, and the hand relaxed its
hold. Jake faced to the front again and saw Kent and Abe Bolton, and
the rest of the boys rush forward, leaving him and a score of other
weak-kneed irresolutes standing alone behind.

Again he thought he would seek the refuge of the rock, but at that
moment the Union line swept up to the Rebels, scattering them as a wave
does dry sand.

Jake's mental motions were reasonably rapid. Now he was not long in
realizing that all the danger was past, and that he had an opportunity
of gaining credit cheaply. He acted promptly. Fixing his bayonet, he
gave a fearful yell and started forward on a run for the position which
the regiment had gained.

He was soon in the lead of the pursuers, and appeared, by his later
zeal, to be making amends for his earlier tardiness. As he ran ahead he
shouted savagely:

"Run down the hellions! Shoot 'em! Stab 'em! Bay'net 'em! Don't let one
of 'em git away."

There is an excitement in a man-chase that is not even approached by any
other kind of hunting, and Jake soon became fairly intoxicated with it.

He quickly overtook one or two of the slower-paced Rebels, who
surrendered quietly, and were handed by him over to the other boys as
they came up, and conducted by them to the rear.

Becoming more excited he sped on, entirely unmindful of how far he was
outstripping his comrades.

A hundred yards ahead of him was a tall, gaunt Virginian, clad
in butternut-colored jeans of queer cut and pattern, and a great
bell-crowned hat of rough, gray beaver. Though his gait was shambling
and his huge splay feet rose and fell in the most awkward way, he went
over the ground with a swiftness that made it rather doubtful whether
Jake was gaining on him at all. But the latter was encouraged by the
sings of his chase's distress. First