nds among them, but they were
so slight that they had not noticed them in the storm and fury of the
battle. Colonel Winchester had not been touched.

When Dick was at last able to sit still, he joined his comrades about one
of the fires, where they were serving supper to the victors. Shepard had
just galloped back from a long ride after the enemy to say that they had
been scattered to the winds, and that another surprise was not possible,
because there were no longer enough Southern soldiers in the valley to
make an army.

"They made a great effort," said Colonel Winchester. "We must give
them credit for what they achieved against numbers and resources. They
organized and carried out their surprise in a wonderful manner, and
perhaps they would be the victors tonight if we didn't have such a
general as Sheridan."

"It was a great sight," said Warner, "when he appeared, galloping before
our line, calling upon us to renew our courage and beat the enemy."

"One man can influence an army. I've found out that," said Dick.

They rose and saluted as General Sheridan walked past with some of the
higher officers. He returned the salutes, congratulated them on their
courage and went on. After a long while the exhausted victors fell
asleep.

* * * *

That night a band of men, a hundred perhaps, entered the woods along the
slopes of the Massanuttons. They were the remains of the Invincibles.
Throughout those fatal hours they had fought with all the courage and
tenacity for which they had been famous so long and so justly. In the
heat and confusion of the combat they had been separated from the other
portions of Early's army, and, the Northern cavalry driving in between,
they had been compelled to take refuge in the forest, under cover of
darkness. They might have surrendered with honor, but not one among them
thought of such a thing. They had been forced to leave their dead behind
them, and of those who had withdrawn about a third were wounded. But,
their hurts bandaged by their comrades, they limped on with the rest.

The two colonels were at the head of the sombre little column. It had
seemed to Harry Kenton as they left the field that each of them had
suddenly grown at least ten years older, but now as they passed within
the deep shadows they became erect again and their faces grew more
youthful. It was a marvelous transformation, but Harry read their
secret. All the re