st way he can do so;
but I suppose he concluded that he could not get his wagons through the
woods without cutting away the trees to make a road."

"This road ain't down on the maps."

"But I see all there is to be seen, Life; and I don't make out why the
enemy halts in the water, if they mean to capture that train, and they
have force enough to beat the escort twice over."

"I reckon I brought 'em to a halt," said the sergeant, as he described
the ruse of his orders to an imaginary force. "I cal'late that cap'n
didn't mean to fall into no trap."

"It was well thought of, Life; now I am ready to return to my command,"
added Deck, as he started for his detachment.

The sergeant wanted to ask the lieutenant what he intended to do, or,
in other words, to obtain his plan of battle; for the young officer was
about as reticent as his father in matters of this kind. But he had
formed his plan, and was thinking it over. The first thing he did was
to send Milton, on foot, over to the wagon-train, advising the
lieutenant in command of the escort to rest his men, and not exhaust
his force with a useless struggle in the mud; for a force was at hand
which would assist him in getting the wagons to hard ground.

Deck explained to the sergeant that he had been somewhat delayed,
before he left the main road, by Captain Gordon, who had given him
precise directions as to his course after he had finished the affair on
the meadow, whether he was defeated or successful in his mission; for
the rest of the squadron, with the remainder of the riflemen, were to
proceed immediately to the south, where the aide-de-camp had work for
them in that direction.

"Lieutenant Butters!" called Deck, as he rode to the head of the
riflemen's portion of the column.

The late jail-keeper rode to a little opening in the woods, where Deck
had halted, and received his orders. He then formed his command in
line, probably animated by the drill in which he had been engaged for
two days. He then numbered them from one up to thirty. The
sharpshooters then dismounted, and secured their horses in the woods.
They were again formed in line. The platoon of cavalrymen were at rest,
and Life was ordered to dismount them, while Deck marched with Butters
and his command in single file into the woods on the left of the road.

On this side of the by-path the dividing-line between the meadow and
the woods extended due north about a quarter of a mile to a point
beyond w