f horse's hoofs, and he
heard his faithful steed move off--a prisoner of the enemy!

To Deck, Ceph was among his dearest possessions, and regardless of his
danger, he scrambled down the tree with all possible speed, at the same
time calling upon the unknown horse-thief to stop. But neither man nor
beast halted, and by the time the major was down both were well out of
sight.

Bitter as he felt over his loss, now was no time for Deck to grieve, and
he scrambled over the rough ground until he came in sight of the first
and second company, advancing as directed. At the same moment a
scattering volley of shots from the other grove of trees told that the
sharpshooters under Ripley and Life Knox had got to work.

"Lieutenant Fronklyn!" cried the major. "Go to Major Belthorpe at once,
and tell him to bring all of the companies he has excepting Captain
Ripley's men around here without delay. Captain Ripley is to work into
the woods, but steer for the defile."

"Orders understood," replied Lieutenant Fronklyn, and galloped off.

Lieutenant Fronklyn was known to be a good rider, and he was soon out of
sight. Without waiting for the balance of his command, minus the
sharpshooters under Ripley, to come up, Deck urged the first and second
companies forward.

The sudden attack, added to the report that another force of the enemy
was on the highway, threw the Confederates in confusion, and although
they stood their ground, it could be seen that they felt more like
breaking away. Several volleys were exchanged, and half a dozen men on
both sides were hit, but nobody seriously.

In the meantime Captain Ripley and Captain Knox had worked into the
woods rapidly, and it was found impossible by Major Belthorpe to bring
Life back, although an orderly was sent to deliver Deck's order to the
Kentuckian. The balance of the companies followed the first half of the
first battalion without delay.

Realizing that the Union cavalry was massing on the north side of the
defile, the Confederate commander endeavored to bring up the balance of
the two companies from the opposite side. But the descent from the rocks
on one side and the ascent on the other took time, and just now every
moment was precious.

Deck did not "let the grass grow under his feet." The first battalion
went ahead on the double-quick, and soon a fierce hand-to-hand encounter
was under way among the rocks. A dozen cavalrymen were wounded, and the
Confederates fell back to a