light was fast deepening into night. The last rosy glow of the sun
faded, and thick darkness enveloped the vast forest, in which twenty
thousand men had fallen, and in which most of them yet lay, the wounded
with the dead.

There was presently a deep boom from the river, and a shell fired by one
of the gunboats curved far over their heads and dropped into the forest,
where the Southern army was encamped. All through the night and at
short but regular intervals the gunboats maintained this warning fire,
heartening the Union soldiers, and telling them at every discharge that
however they might have to fight for the land, the water was always
theirs.

Dick saw Colonel Winchester going among his men, and pulling himself
together he saluted his chief.

"Any orders, sir?" he said.

"No, Dick, my boy, none for the present," replied the colonel, a little
sadly. "Half of my poor regiment is killed or wounded, and the rest
are so exhausted that they are barely able to move. But they fought
magnificently, Dick! They had to, or be crushed! It is only here that
we have withstood the rush of the Southern army, and it is probable that
we, too, would have gone had not night come to our help."

"Then we have been beaten?"

"Yes, Dick, we have been beaten, and beaten badly. It was the surprise
that did it. How on earth we could have let the Southern army creep upon
us and strike unaware I don't understand. But Dick, my boy, there will
be another battle tomorrow, and it may tell a different tale. Some
prisoners whom we have taken say that Johnston has been killed, and
Beauregard is no such leader as he."

"Will the army of General Buell reach us tonight?"

"Buell, himself, is here. He has been with Grant for some time, and all
his brigades are marching at the double quick. Lew Wallace arrived
less than half an hour ago with seven thousand men fresh and eager for
battle. Dick! Dick, my boy, we'll have forty thousand new troops on the
field at the next dawn, and before God we'll wipe out the disgrace of
today! Listen to the big guns from the boats as they speak at intervals!
Why, I can understand the very words they speak! They are saying to the
Southern army: 'Look out! Look out! We're coming in the morning, and
it's we who'll attack now!'"

Dick saw that Colonel Winchester himself was excited. The pupils of his
eyes were dilated, and a red spot glowed in either cheek. Like all the
other officers he was stung by the surprise and