"Colonel," said Harry to Colonel Talbot, "what do you think of it? Shall
we ever make headway against such a force? Or shall we be compelled
to retreat until we make a junction with the main army under General
Johnston?"

Colonel Talbot glanced back at the puffs of white smoke, and suddenly
his eyes seemed to flash with the fire that Harry had seen in Jackson's
when he looked upon the Winchester that he must leave.

"No, Harry, I don't believe we'll keep on retreating," he replied. "I
was with General Taylor when he fell back before the Mexican forces
under Santa Anna which outnumbered him five to one. But at Buena Vista
he stopped falling back, and everybody knows the glorious victory we won
there over overwhelming odds. The Yankees are not Mexicans. Far from
it. They are as brave as anybody. But Stonewall Jackson is a far greater
general than Zachary Taylor."

"I'm hoping for the best," said Harry.

"We'll all wait and see," said the colonel.

They stopped falling back at Mount Jackson, twenty-five miles from
Winchester, and the army occupied a strong position. Harry felt
instinctively that they would fall back no more, and his spirits began
to rise again. But the facts upon which his hopes were based were small.
Jackson had less than five thousand men, and in the North he was wiped
off the map. It was no longer necessary for cabinet members and generals
to take him into consideration.

Jackson now out of the way, the main portion of the army under Banks was
directed to march eastward to Manassas, while a heavy detachment still
more than double Jackson's in numbers remained in the valley. Meanwhile
McClellan, with his right flank clear, was going by sea to Richmond,
goaded to action at last by the incessant demands of a people which had
a right to expect much of his great and splendidly equipped army.

Harry was with Stonewall Jackson when the news of these movements
reached them, brought by Philip Sherburne, who, emulating his commander,
Turner Ashby, seemed never to rest or grow weary.

"General Banks is moving eastward to cover the eastern approaches to
Washington," said the young captain, "while General Shields with 12,000
men is between us and Winchester."

"So," said Jackson. Sherburne looked at him earnestly, but he gave no
sign.

"Ride back to your chief and tell him I thank him for his vigilance and
to report to me promptly everything that he may discover," said Jackson.
"You may ride with him