fighting under the
glorious stars and stripes.

"He's all there--Sandy is!" murmured old Titus Lyon, and there was
something like a tear in his eye. "God bless him and preserve him for
his mother's sake and for mine!" It did the old man's heart good to see
his boy at the head of that dashing company of cavalrymen.

Exasperated at the stubborn resistance on the hill, Johnson sent forward
another regiment of infantry to support the infantry and cavalry already
in the field. What to do was now a question to Colonel Lyon. He looked
at his watch. The Riverlawns had held the hill for exactly sixteen
minutes. Should he fall back? If he remained he might be annihilated; if
he fell back Minty might be lost.

A shout from the rear reached his ear. A staff-officer was riding
toward him at breakneck speed. "Fall back--the retreat has been
sufficiently covered!" came the order, and much relieved, Colonel Lyon
ordered his battalions to retreat to the creek road, where they came up
side by side with the front of the regular cavalry column. Minty had met
Johnson at noon. It was now after three o'clock, and the Confederate
advance had been delayed three hours. It could not be delayed longer,
however, and Minty, Wilder, and the Riverlawns continued to fall back.
Johnson reached Reed's Bridge shortly after three o'clock, and marched
for Jay's Mill, arriving there an hour later. The Riverlawns went into
camp not far from the Chickamauga, and awaited further orders.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA

"Phew, but that was a hot time while it lasted!" observed Captain Artie
Lyon, when the regiment was once more in a safe position and at ease.
"Those fellows can fight if they set out for it."

"We were very fortunate, having lost no officers and but four men,"
answered Deck, to whom he was speaking. "The second battalion fared a
good deal worse with that infantry. Captain Gadbury is so severely
wounded he has been sent to the rear, and Lieutenant Grand is dead."

"Then Sandy will become captain of that company!" cried Artie. "Well, he
deserves such a position, to my way of thinking."

"I am sorry for Captain Gadbury," resumed Deck, and he wondered what
Margie Belthorpe would say when she heard that the gallant captain was
wounded. As will be remembered, the relationship between Margie
Belthorpe and Captain Gadbury was even more advanced than was the
tender feeling between Deck and Kate Belthorpe.

Shortly after the co