forty-eight hours, and why should the enemy send such expert shots to
such a spot unless it was known that they were wanted? Surely the
Confederates had no sharpshooters to spare on a mere excursion into
these woods.

The major was in the habit of thinking rapidly, and his conclusion was,
that the sharpshooters were guarding something, which must, necessarily,
be of value, especially to the army. His mind went back to the time
when he had captured the ammunition and gun on the raft. Would it be his
good fortune to make another haul of as much, or greater, worth?

It must be remembered that at this time the Riverlawns knew nothing of
the great battle which General Thomas had precipitated by sending out
troops to capture the brigade supposed to be isolated from the remainder
of the Confederate command. To be sure, heavy firing was springing up
here and there, but then there had been heavy firing before which had
amounted to but very little when it came to summing up results.

When Deck had been conversing with Life, his eye had been caught by two
gigantic willow trees growing along the banks of Duff's Claim. One tree
was along the shore where the Kentuckian's men lay concealed; the other
grew on the shore of the island, directly opposite. Both trees were bent
and twisted, and their branches interlocked some fifteen feet above the
stream's surface.

Perhaps the task Deck had set for himself may look easy to the average
reader, but it was not altogether so, and the major realized this. The
willows were old, and old trees often have rotten limbs which break when
least expected. Moreover green willow limbs are very pliable and bend
and twist beyond expectation. Under ordinary circumstances, Deck would
not have minded a tumble into the stream, but he knew that a tumble now
would bring a shot meant to be fatal and one which would most likely
prove so.

For Deck had decided to cross the stream by climbing up the tree nearest
to him and making his way from one set of branches to the next. The tree
was easily gained; and catching a limb on the side away from the water,
he hauled himself up. Two minutes more, and he was at the point where he
could grasp the branches which came from the opposite shore.

So far he had heard or seen nothing to awaken his suspicion, and he was
beginning to think that no sharpshooter could be within a hundred feet
of him, if as close. He caught the limbs, took a long step, and in a
second was saf