ess, as if no shadow
of war brooded over the land. There were some more soldiers on the
streets, and a considerable portion of the vehicles were army wagons,
but this was all.

"When'll we see some rebels?" the boys asked.

"Don't be impatient," said a soldier on the sidewalk; "you'll see 'em
soon enough, and more'n you want to. You'll have to go a little further,
but you'll find the woods full of 'em. You'll be wishin' you was back
home in your little trundle-beds, where they ought've kept you."

"Shut up, you coffee-boiler," shouted Shorty, striding toward him.
"These boys 's goin' to the front, where you ought to be, and I won't
have you sayin' a word to discourage 'em."

"Too bad about discouraging 'em," laughed another, who had a juster
appreciation of the situation. "You couldn't discourage that drove of
kids with a hickory club."

After the train left Louisville it passed between two strong forts
bristling with heavy guns. Here was a reality of war, and the boys' tide
of questions became a torrent that for once overslaughed Shorty's fine
talent for fiction and misinformation.

"How many battles had been fought there?"

"How many Union soldiers had been killed?"

"How many rebels?"

"Where were they buried?"

"How big a ball did the guns shoot?"

"How far would it carry?"

"How many men would it kill if they were put one behind another?"

"How near would the guns come to hitting a man a mile off?"

"Could the gunner knock a man's head off, or one of his legs, just as he
pleased?"

"Were the guns rifled or smooth-bore?"

"How much powder did it take to load them?"

"How hard did they kick when they were fired?"

"Did they have flint-locks or caps?"

"Did they ever fire chain-shot, which would cut down trees and sweep
away companies of men?"

"If all the rest of the men were killed wouldn't the powder-monkey get a
chance to fire the gun?"

"Look here, boys," gasped Shorty, when he got a chance to answer, "I'd
like to answer your questions and fill you so plumb full o' information
that your hides'd crack to hold it. But I aint no complete history o'
the war with heavy artillery tactics bound up in one volume. All I know
is that the worst dose them forts ever give was to the fellers that had
to build 'em. After you've dug and shoveled and wheeled on one of 'em
for about a month you'll hate the very sight of 'em and never ask no
questions about 'em. All you'll want'll be to find and kill the