through the trees is getting? In this hot weather
nobody builds a camp-fire of that size, and I think there must be a
house burning. If you say so, we will take a tour in that direction."

"Anywhere with _you_," said Webster. "But," he added, careful for his
wounded companion though not for himself, "suppose it should be a
burning house, with rebels around, and you with your lame arm."

"Oh, Bob, we'll take the chances," said the wounded Zouave. "My
impression is that they have had enough of Little Mac for one day, and
got out of this, and that you killed about the last one of them. At all
events, we'll take the chances--come on!"

Bob Webster had been in the habit of following his file-leader, and he
did so in this instance. The two struck across the woods in the
direction of the fire, their path through the trees and under-growth
being made an easy one by the light it cast. A few hundred yards brought
them to the edge of the wood, at a narrow place where a spur of the
Malvern Hill made a sudden curve Southward and broke into the timber. As
they approached the edge of the clear space, they saw that a house was
indeed on fire, the flames now licking through the roof and enveloping
the chimneys, while all the lower portion seemed burned to a shell. The
house, which stood at the foot of the hill, appeared to have been of
fair size, and surrounded on three sides with carefully cultivated
grounds, now marred and desolated alike by the foot of the invader and
the defender.

Climbing a broken fence that lay between the wood and the cultivated
ground, the two soldiers drew nearer to the burning house, which
strangely enough showed no person moving around the flames, and no
indication that it was not burning in utter loneliness. Such things as
traps and decoys had been heard of by the comrades, however, as they had
been heard of by every soldier subjected to the tricks of the
Confederates; and they were not too certain that enemies might not lie
concealed in the neighborhood, waiting to pick off any Union soldier
discerned in the light of the fire. On this account, Webster, who had
re-loaded his rifle, carried it ready for instant use, while Crawford
carried his in the unwounded hand, at half-cock, and ready to make some
kind of an attempt, in the event of danger, to use it as a pistol. These
precautions seemed to be all superfluous, for as they came still nearer
to the burning house, now almost ready to fall into a heap of