minutes, and he very
accommodatingly gave me his pistol, freed my hands, and let me knock
him down," continued the major, with a laugh, and then told his tale in
detail.

"Well, you are more than lucky," said Artie, when he had finished.
"Finding Ceph was worth a good deal, eh?"

"It was worth as much as escaping," answered Deck, and he stroked the
noble steed affectionately. "I wish you could tell your story, too, old
boy!" And Ceph gave him a poke with that nose of his. It seemed as if
the steed did most of his talking with that nose.

Others had gathered around, Captain Life Knox, Sandy Lyon, and Uncle
Titus, and Deck's story had to be retold to them. In the meantime he was
served with a hot supper, and later on, given the means to change his
wet clothing for dry.

"You ought to have something to tell the general," said Titus Lyon to
him. "Of course you kept your eyes and ears open while you were over
there."

"No, Uncle Titus, I didn't. I promised the fellow who assisted me to say
nothing, and I intend to keep my promise. But I wish I could have
collared that Captain Brentford, and brought him along."

The Riverlawns were encamped at the foot of a hill not far from Crawfish
Springs. It was a fine place for a camp, and many of the privates were
already sleeping soundly. Soon Deck and his relatives and friends
retired, only the pickets being kept awake. In spite of his adventures,
the major slumbered soundly, and did not arise until the Sabbath dawn
was well advanced.

It was felt by both sides that the morrow would tell the tale of defeat
or victory, and all night long Generals Rosecrans and Bragg were busy
arranging their plans. The former could get no reenforcements worth
mentioning; but to the Army of Tennessee were now added reenforcements
under General Longstreet, who arrived shortly before midnight, to assume
personal charge of the corps temporarily commanded by Hood. A rough
estimate of the troops on both sides at this time places the number of
Unionists at fifty-five thousand, as against nearly seventy thousand
Confederates. But what they lacked in numbers, the Army of the
Cumberland made up in position, for they occupied higher ground than
their opponents--something of great strategic importance, as we will
soon see.

It must be confessed that General Rosecrans's troops were all but
exhausted. Every soldier, excepting two divisions, had been thrown into
the fight on Saturday, and every division h