"Tell the story, so that I can determine whether the information is good
for anything or not."

Somers drank the tin cup of coffee which the general's servant brought to
him, and then proceeded to relate the incidents of the day in the rebel
camp. His distinguished auditor, who, in the Army of the Potomac, had
well earned the title of "the bravest of the brave," listened with eager
interest to the details of the lieutenant's story, asking occasional
questions upon points which were not only calculated to elicit particular
information, but to display the skill and intelligence of the scout. The
interview was prolonged for several hours; and at its close a
staff-officer was despatched to the corps commander; for what purpose, of
course, Somers had no intimation.

"Lieutenant Somers, you have earned your promotion; and if you don't have
it, it will be because I have not influence enough to procure it. You
have done well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Your friend, Senator Guilford, shall hear of you within forty-eight
hours."

"I beg your pardon, sir; but, grateful as I am to Senator Guilford for
the interest he has expressed in me, I don't care to be patronized by any
man in civil life."

"Whew!" laughed the general. "I wish some of our colonels and brigadiers
would take a lesson from you. Never mind, Lieutenant Somers; you will
deserve all you ever get."

"Thank you, sir."

"Go to your quarters now. Here," he added, dashing off a note at his
table, in which he desired that Somers might be excused from duty for the
next two days, to enable him to recover from the fatigues of his arduous
expedition.

I need not inform my readers how soundly our hero slept in his shelter
tent that night, nor how his slumbers were disturbed by a horrid rebel
with a bowie-knife, and a horrid feminine monstrosity which seemed to be
called Sue by her attendant demons; but he slept as a tired boy only can
sleep.

The next morning the brigade was relieved from picket duty, and the
regiment returned to its camp. Captain de Banyan had neither seen nor
heard from his young friend since his departure on the forenoon of the
preceding day. Of course he was overjoyed to see him, as well as
intensely curious to know where he had been, what he had done, and
whether he had been promoted. Somers told his adventures to the mess,
omitting such military information as was "contraband" in the camp.

"Somers, my dear fellow, you are a man after my own h