s, and the Riverlawns
detached themselves from the other cavalry and galloped down the side
road indicated.

At this time McMinnville was but a small place, yet it boasted of a
newspaper, and the surrounding territory was rich in fruit and other
farms. The ground in spots was full of hollows, and over these the
railroad corporation had built a series of trestles, with here and there
a shed and a siding for freight cars.

Coming within sight of the trestle mentioned to him, Colonel Lyon found
it guarded by a small company of Southerners, determined-looking men,
about half uniformed, yet each with a trusty-looking gun in his hands.
The Southerners opened fire without any parleying, and two cavalrymen
were struck, although not seriously.

"They have a fine position, Colonel," remarked Lieutenant-Colonel
Gordon. "They are above us, and that planking on this side gives them a
first-class protection."

"That is right, Gordon; but we'll dislodge them fast enough," answered
Noah Lyon, confidently. A leader somewhat against his will, he had now
studied up military tactics in dead earnest, and with him, as with his
son Deck, nothing was an impossibility.

The first battalion was ordered to halt and take a safe place behind a
slight rise of ground to the northwest of the trestle. The second was
marched around to the north, and the third to the south. This done, the
party above was pretty well surrounded. Half a dozen shots were
exchanged, but the planking mentioned protected the Confederates, and
they did not budge.

It would have been easy to have advanced upon the party from both ends
of the trestlework, but this would have cost a severe loss of life, and
the humane colonel was for protecting his men from all injury if the
thing could be done.

While Colonel Lyon was debating in his mind what should be his next
movement, Artie came up and saluted, having received the proper
permission from his major. The young captain observed the formalities as
though the colonel was of no relationship to him.

"Colonel, I have to report something which may be of importance to you,"
he said.

"Well, Captain, what is it?" smiled the colonel. "A sure way to defeat
the enemy?"

"Our company has discovered that a barrel of tar lies at the northeast
end of the trestle. A freight car above was broken open, and I think the
barrel was jounced out, as the road-bed seems to be very uneven,
especially at the curve."

"The tar will certainl