ing upon their horses and draw back, at the colonel's
shouted command, to the cover of the wood. But they were driven hard.
The Confederate cavalry came on again, impetuous and fierce as ever, and
urged continually by the great partisan leader, Forrest, now in the very
dawn of his fame.

"It was no phantom you saw, that girl on the horse!" shouted Warner in
Dick's ear, and Dick nodded in return. They had no time for other words,
as Forrest's horsemen, far outnumbering them, now pressed them harder
than ever. A continuous fire came from their ranks and at close range
they rode in with the sabre.

Dick experienced the full terror and surprise of a night battle. The
opposing forces were so close together that it was often difficult
to tell friend from enemy. But Forrest's men had every advantage of
surprise, superior numbers and perfect knowledge of the country. Dick
groaned aloud as he saw that the best they could do was to save as many
as possible. Why had he not taken a shot at the horse of that flying
girl?

"We must keep together, Dick!" shouted Warner. "Here are Pennington and
Sergeant Whitley, and there's Colonel Winchester. I fancy that if we can
get off with a part of our men we'll be doing well."

Pennington's horse, shot through the head, dropped like a stone to the
ground, but the deft youth, used to riding the wild mustangs of
the prairie, leaped clear, seized another which was galloping about
riderless, and at one bound sprang into the saddle.

"Good boy!" shouted Dick with admiration, but the next moment the
horsemen of Forrest were rushing upon them anew. More men were killed,
many were taken, and Colonel Winchester, seeing the futility of further
resistance, gathered together those who were left and took flight
through the forest.

Tears of mortification came to Dick's eyes, but Sergeant Whitley, who
rode on his right hand, said:

"It's the only thing to do. Remember that however bad your position may
be it can always be worse. It's better for some of us to escape than for
all of us to be down or be taken."

Dick knew that his logic was good, but the mortification nevertheless
remained a long time. There was some consolation, however, in the fact
that his own particular friends had neither fallen nor been taken.

They still heard the shouts of pursuing horsemen, and shots rattled
about them, but now the covering darkness was their friend. They drew
slowly away from all pursuit. The shouts and th