, distressed face, a wet,
clinging dress, and masses of yellow hair surging out of the shawl over
her head. The ill startled picket dropped the butt of his musket to the
ground and stared.

"I want to see Chad, your captain," she said, timidly.

"All right," said the soldier, courteously. "He's just below there and
I guess he's up. We are getting ready to start now. Come along."

"Oh, no!" said Melissa, hurriedly. "I can't go down there." It had just
struck her that Chad must not see her; but the picket thought she
naturally did not wish to face a lot of soldiers in her bedraggled and
torn dress, and he said quickly:

"All right. Give me your message and I'll take it to him." He smiled.
"You can wait here and stand guard."

Melissa told him hurriedly how she had come over the mountain and what
was going on over there, and the picket with a low whistle started down
toward his camp without another word.

Chad could not doubt the accuracy of the information--the picket had
names and facts.

"A girl, you say?"

"Yes, sir"--the soldier hesitated--"and a very pretty one, too. She
came over the mountain alone and on foot through this darkness. She
passed the pickets on the other side--pretending to be a sheep. She had
a bell in her hand." Chad smiled--he knew that trick.

"Where is she?"

"She's standing guard for me."

The picket turned at a gesture from Chad and led the way. They found no
Melissa. She had heard Chad's voice and fled up the mountain. Before
daybreak she was descending the mountain on the other side, along the
same way, tinkling her sheep-bell and creeping past the pickets. It was
raining again now and her cold had grown worse. Several times she had
to muffle her face into her shawl to keep her cough from betraying her.
As she passed the ford below the Turner cabin, she heard the splash of
many horses crossing the river and she ran on, frightened and
wondering. Before day broke she had slipped into her bed without
arousing Mother Turner, and she did not get up that day, but lay ill
abed.

The splashing of those many horses was made by Captain Daniel Dean and
his men, guided by Rebel Jerry. High on the mountain side they hid
their horses in a ravine and crept toward the Gap on foot--so that
while Daws with his gang waited for Chad, the rebels lay in the brush
waiting for him. Dan was merry over the prospect:

"We will just let them fight it out," he said, "and then we'll dash in
and gobble 'em