ansbury is at
Bladensburg, an' General Winder counts on goin' there to-morrow for a
conference, leavin' our commodore in command here."

"But what have you been doing to tire you so thoroughly?" I persisted.

"Nothin' exceptin' tag around at Joshua Barney's heels, an' he's a
reg'lar tiger at walkin', whereas it puts me in bad shape."

"Why not lie down while you may, and get some sleep?" I asked.

"Because I'm under orders to go back to the commodore. You lads turn
in, an' I'll creep under cover whenever it's possible."

Having thus evaded my question as to what he had been doing, the old
man went out of the tent, leaving Jerry and I gazing at each other,
but not daring to speak the thoughts which were in our mind.

If Commodore Barney and Darius Thorpe were so anxious as to what might
be the result of our meeting with the enemy, surely we two lads,
ignorant of everything pertaining to warfare, save marching, had cause
for alarm.

We sat facing each other a full ten minutes without speaking. It was
possible to hear the laborers as they threw up the slight breastwork
which could be of but little service save to mark our position, or the
hum of conversation as the idlers paced to and fro near the tent, and
all these sounds was token that we were a tiny part of the living
machine with which nations waged war.

"There's no sense in sittin' here like a couple of dummies," Jerry
finally said. "We'd best be gettin' all the sleep we can, an' then
we'll be the better prepared for what is before us."

It would have pleased me well to find my father and have a talk with
him; but I did not feel warranted in leaving my comrades at such a
time, therefore I acted at once upon Jerry's suggestion.

It was not a difficult matter to fall asleep, after the long march,
and until late in the night I enjoyed a most refreshing slumber, when
the entrance of Darius awakened me.

"What is the time?" I asked.

"Near to midnight."

"Have you been working all this while?"

"Movin' around with the commodore, that's all," Darius replied, as he
laid down beside me, and a moment later his heavy breathing told that
the weary old man was resting after nearly twenty hours of labor.

Try as I might, it was impossible to close my eyes in sleep
immediately. My thoughts would stray back to Benedict, and the more my
mind dwelt upon mother and the children the less inclined did I feel
for slumber.

I twisted and turned while my tent-mates sle