her side. He also saw the usually calm and imperturbable face of
Jackson show annoyance. The general signed to his staff, and, galloping
forward a hundred yards or so, joined Stuart, who was just in front.
Stuart also showed annoyance, but, more emotional than Jackson, he
expressed it in a much greater degree. His face was red with anger.
Harry, who as usual kept close behind his commander, heard their talk.

"General Stuart," said General Jackson, "we must find some position from
which we can open a flanking fire upon that Northern battery."

"Aye, sir," said Stuart. "Nothing would delight me more. The
narrowness of the road, and their place at the head of it, give them an
immense advantage. Ah, sir, here is a bridle path leading to the right.
Maybe it will give us a chance."

The two generals, followed by their staffs and a battery, turned from
the main body into the narrow path and pushed their way between the
masses of thick undergrowth, bearing steadily toward the right. But the
road was so narrow that not more than two could go abreast, the generals
in their eagerness still leading the way.

Harry, rising up in his stirrups, tried to see over the dense
undergrowth, but patches of saplings and scrub oaks farther on hid the
view. Nevertheless he caught the flash of heavy guns and saw many
columns of smoke rising. It was toward their left now, and they would
soon be parallel with it, whence their own guns would open a flanking
fire, if any open spot or elevation could be found.

They had gone about a half mile, when Stuart uttered an exclamation and
pointed to a hillock. It was not necessary to say anything, because
everyone knew that this was the place for the guns.

"Now we'll drop a few shells of our own among those Yankee gunners and
see how they like it," said Dalton.

The cannon were unlimbering rapidly, but the open space on the hillock
was so small that only one gun could be brought up, and it sent a shot
toward the Union lines. The Union artillery, superb as always, marked
the spot whence the shot came, and in an instant two batteries, masked
by the woods, poured a terrible fire upon the hillock and those about it.

So deadly was the steel rain that the little force was put out of action
at once. Harry had never beheld a more terrifying scene. Most of the
horses and men around the first cannon were killed. One horse and one
gunner fell dead across its wheels. Other horses, wounded and s