onfederate captain, with a smile.

"Is that so?" returned Deck, as though the thought was brand-new to him.

"We have. Ahead is nothing but swamp and quicksand, and back here my
command hold the defile and the entire elevation."

"You must have your company pretty well spread out," remarked Deck.

"I have more than one company with me--fully enough men to hold the
spot. So you see you are entirely cut off."

"Cut off from where?"

"The outside world, so to speak," was the Confederate's impatient
answer.

"If we are, that's rather bad for us, Captain," and now Deck began to
smile.

"It is. The question is, are you willing to surrender?" demanded Captain
Adairs.

"To whom?"

"Why, to me, of course."

"Great Caesar, Captain, what for?"

"What for? Because you can't help yourself, that's what for!" and now
the veneering of gentlemanliness vanished. "I call on you to surrender.
If you won't, I'll open fire on you in less than five minutes."

"Make it ten minutes, Captain," and Deck kept on smiling.

"Ten minutes?" And the smile and the request perplexed the Confederate
not a little, as it also perplexed Life Knox. The latter could not
imagine what the major was driving at, for while he was a good soldier,
and a first-class shot, diplomacy, military or otherwise, was beyond
him.

"Exactly, ten minutes--or possibly quarter of an hour."

"I shall not wait longer than five minutes."

"Then I'll try to make five minutes do, although it will hardly be time
enough."

"Time enough for what?"

"Time enough for me to arrange my plans for giving you battle," answered
Deck, as calmly as ever.

"See here, do you take me for a--a fool?" cried the Confederate captain.
"What are you driving at? I won't waste any more words with you."

"Won't you?" Deck had his field-glasses in his hand, and now he pointed
them to the northward of the rocky elevation. "They are coming, Life!"
he cried. "We are all right! Come on back!" And he waved his hand to his
companion. "Good day, Captain, and I don't think I'll surrender--now!"

"Fooled!" burst from the Confederate's lips. "They are being reenforced!
Why did I waste words here!" And without another look at Deck, he turned
and galloped off with his orderly; and soon the two pairs were several
hundred yards apart.

"It was well done--you scared him nicely!" burst out Life. "But what's
the next move on the checkerboard, Deck?"

"The next move is to gain yonder grove of tree