d to call me Deck.
Perhaps I had better address you as captain in the future."

"Don't you do it, Deck," pleaded the Kentuckian. "I won't say major
again, excepting when we are in the ranks."

"All right. Now, what do you think? I want your advice."

"Well, I reckon we want to capture the gun and the ammunition."

"That goes without saying."

"And we likewise want to take the fellows prisoners."

"Certainly, if it can be done--and I think it can."

"Then what more is there to say, Majo--, I mean Deck?"

"Something quite important. Shall we move against them at once, or wait
until the gun and the ammunition are loaded on the raft?"

Life Knox stared at the speaker for a moment in perplexity. Then a grin
overspread his good-natured face. "Reckon we'll let them do the work,
seeing that the stuff will be better on the raft than off it. We can't
do anything in the woods with such heavy luggage; but we might pole that
raft to some safe place in the Union territory."

"Now you've struck it, Life--just what was passing in my own mind. Come,
we'll watch the work, and I'll give the signal to open the ball with
them."

When they reached their first point of observation, they discovered that
two cases of ammunition had already been transferred to the raft. The
third followed, and then a rope was attached to the field-piece, a small
affair, but one capable of doing good execution in the hands of a
skilful gunner.

The men strained and swore at the hard work, and Deck and Life were glad
they had concluded to let the enemy undertake it instead of themselves.
To the rope two logs were added as implements by which to start the
piece, and at last it rolled over a rock in front of it, and they hauled
it to the water's edge. Here arose another difficulty, and the piece was
not placed on board until it had run the risk of dropping to the bottom
of the inlet. The weight of the gun sent the top of the raft under
water, and the lower box of ammunition received a wetting. The others,
having been placed on top of the first, remained uninjured.

"Take the lieutenant and cover him well, Life!" whispered Deck; and it
must be confessed that he was growing excited. "I will cover the man we
followed around the woods. All ready?"

"Wait till I take to the other side of the inlet," answered the captain
of the seventh company of the Riverlawns. He moved off immediately.

A low whistle told Deck when he was ready, and the major aimed his