ound the camp-fire that we faintly saw in among the pines, let fly at
us. They had surely been surprised in their sleep. I clearly saw them
as their guns flashed.

"Forward! Don't shoot! Ride on," shouted Miller. "Bushwhackers! Thank
God, not mounted! Any of you make out horses with them?"

"No, sir! No, sir!"

"Who yelled? who went down?"

"Kennedy, sir," I cried.

"Too bad! Any one else?"

"No, sir."

"All safe?"

"I'm touched in my right arm; but it's nothing," I said. The twinge
was slight, and in the fleshy place in front of my shoulder. I could
not make out that I was losing blood, and the pain from the hurt was
scarcely perceptible.

"Good boy! Keep up, Adam!" called the lieutenant with a kind tone. I
remember my delight that he spoke my front name. On we flew.

Possibly the shots had been heard by the party half a mile further on,
for they greeted us with a volley. A horse coughed hard and pitched
down behind me. His rider yelled as he fell. Then two more shots came:
Crowfoot reeled in front of me, and somehow checked his horse. I saw
him no more. Next moment we were upon the group with our pistols.

"Forward, men! Don't stop to fight!" roared Miller, as he got clear. A
rifle was fired so close to my head that the flame burned my back
hair, and my ears rang for half an hour or more. My bay leaped high
and dashed down a man. In a few seconds I was fairly out of the
scrimmage.

How many of my comrades had gone down I knew not, nor beside whom I
was riding. Suddenly our horses plunged into a hole; his stumbled, the
man pitched forward, and was left behind. Then I heard a shot, the
clatter of another falling horse, the angry yell of another thrown
rider.

On we went,--the relics of us. Now we rushed out of the pine forest
into broad moonlight, and I saw two riders between me and the
lieutenant,--one man almost at my shoulder and another galloping ten
yards behind. Very gradually this man dropped to the rear. We had lost
five men already, and still the night was young.

Bader and Absalom Gray were nearest me. Neither spoke a word till we
struck upon a space of sandy road. Then I could hear, far behind the
rear man, a sound of galloping on the hard highway.

"They're after us, lieutenant!" shouted Bader.

"Many?" He slacked speed, and we listened attentively.

"Only one," cried Miller. "He's coming fast."

The pursuer gained so rapidly that we looked to our pistols again.
Then Absalom Gray cri