of the fifth
company, second battalion, the battalion being commanded by Major Tom
Belthorpe, of Lyndhall and the company by Captain Gadbury, a dashing
young soldier, who was far more attentive to Margie Belthorpe than Deck
Lyon had ever dared to be to her younger sister.

There had been but one thing concerning Duncan Lyon's will which had
excited much curiosity when the document was read and when the lawyer
having the matter in hand had had his say. This was concerning the
fifty-one negroes installed at Riverlawn. Noah Lyon was requested not to
part with any of them. Furthermore, the heir to the plantation was left
a sealed letter which was not to be opened until five years later. The
Lyons sometimes imagined the contents of the letter concerned the
disposition of the slaves, but they had no positive information on the
point.

CHAPTER II

AN UNEXPECTED SET-BACK

Deck Lyon was mounted on his famous horse Ceph, so nicknamed after the
even more famous charger ridden in ancient days by Alexander the Great.
The young major had trained Ceph from ponyhood, and rider and beast
understood each other perfectly. On more than one occasion Ceph had
performed in a truly wonderful fashion on the battlefield, and once,
when being promoted, Deck had declared that the honor of the occasion
rested with his equine comrade and not himself.

As the small body of whites and negroes moved onward in the direction of
the Belthorpe plantation, Deck took the lead, with Artie and the
faithful Levi close behind him. In the rear came the armed slaves riding
in two ranks of three men each. The men could hardly be termed soldiers,
yet during the time that Noah Lyon had been away from Riverlawn the
overseer had drilled them thoroughly, both in horsemanship and in
carbine practice, and they were, consequently, a long way removed from
raw recruits. Moreover, upon the occasion of the attack upon Riverlawn,
they had been under fire and had not flinched, so it was known that they
could be depended upon even in a hazardous emergency.

Even without such a fine bit of horseflesh under him, Deck would have
been anxious to go to the front. The note received by Levi filled him
with alarm, and in his mind all sorts of troublesome thoughts ran riot.
The Belthorpe sisters were at home alone, two of Morgan's guerillas were
in possession of Lyndhall, and a whole company were soon expected. What
indignities might not the sisters suffer, not to say anyt