nge of hills, "and'll aim at strikin' us at some bridge or deep
cut about 10 miles from here."

"Where we'll probably git sometime after dark," assented Si.

"Yes. Let's talk to the conductor and engineer."

The train had started in the meanwhile, but presently the conductor came
back into the caboose. He had been a soldier, but so severely wounded as
to necessitate his discharge as incapable of further field service.

"I hardly think there's any danger," said Conductor Madden. "Things
've been very quiet this side of the Tennessee River ever since last
October, when Crook, Wilder and Minty belted the life out of old Joe
Wheeler down there at Farmington and Rodgersville. Our cavalry gave
theirs an awful mauling, and them that were lucky enough to escape
acrost the river have seemed purty well satisfied to stay on that side.
A hell's mint of 'em were drowned trying to get acrost the river.
Our cavalry's been patrolling the country ever since, but hasn't seen
anything of consequence. Still, it is possible that some gang has
managed to sneak acrost a blind-ford somewhere, and in hopes to catch a
train. Guerrillas are always where you find 'em."

"Well, I'll bet a hatful o' red apples," said Si, "that them was
guerrillas that we saw, and they're makin' for this train. The rebels in
Nashville somehow got information to 'em about it."

"Them's guerrillas," affirmed Shorty, "sure's the right bower takes the
left. None o' our cavalry's stringin' around over the hill-tops. Then,
I made out some white horses, which our cavalry don't have. It's just as
Si says, them Nashville spies 's put the rebel cavalry onto us."

"Them cowardly, sneaking, death-deserving rebels in Nashville," broke
out Conductor Madden, with a torrent of oaths. "Every man in Nashville
that wears citizen's clothes ought to be hung on sight, and half
the women. They don't do nothing but lay around and take the oath of
allegiance, watch every move we make like a cat does a mouse, and send
information through the lines. You can't draw a ration of hardtack but
they know it, and they're looking down your throat while you're eating
it. They haint got the gravel in their craws to go out and fight
themselves, and yet they've cost us a hundred times as many lives as
if they had. Why does the General allow them to stay there? He ought to
order rocks tied to the necks of every blasted one of 'em and fling 'em
into the Cumberland River and then pour turpentine on the