ress involuntary shivers as the deadly
steel flew by. He and Dalton had nothing to do but hold their horses
and watch the combat, which they did with the keenest interest.

Stuart's cannon had unlimbered in a good place, where they were
protected partly by a ridge, and their deep booming note soon showed the
gunboats that they had an enemy worthy of their fire. Dalton and Harry
looked on with growing excitement. Dalton, for once, grew garrulous,
talking in an excited monotone.

"Look at that, Harry!" he cried. "See the water spurt right by the
bow of that boat! A shell broke there! And there goes another! That
struck, too! See the fallen men on the boat! Look at that little black
fellow coming right out in the middle of the stream! And it got home,
too, with that shot! By George, how the shell raked our ranks! Ah, but,
you saucy little creature, that shell paid you back! See, Harry,
its wheel is smashed, and it's floating away with the stream! Guns
on land have an advantage over guns on the water! As the negro said,
'When the boat blows up, whar are you? But if the explosion is on dry
land, dar you are!' Ah, another has caught it, and is going out of
action! Oh my, little boats, you're brave and saucy, but you can't
stand up to Stuart's guns."

Dalton was right. The gunboats, sinkable and fully exposed, were
rapidly getting the worst of it. Stuart's guns, protected by the ridge,
were inflicting so much damage that they were compelled to drop down the
stream, two or three of them disabled and in tow of the others.

A covering Union battery of much heavier guns opened fire from a hill
beyond the river, but it was unable either to protect the gunboats or
to demolish Stuart's horse artillery, which was sheltered well by the
ridge. The men in gray began to cheer. It soon became obvious that
they would win. Gradually all of the gunboats, having suffered much
loss, dropped down the stream and passed out of range. The heavy
battery was also withdrawn from the hill and the detached attempt to
cross the Rappahannock had failed.

Stuart and his men rode back exultant, but Dalton said to Harry that he
thought it merely a forerunner.

"A good omen, you mean?" said Harry.

"Good, I hope, but I meant chiefly a sign of much greater things to
come. I'm thinking that Burnside will attack in a day or two now.
Lots of Northern newspapers find their way into our lines, and the whole
North is urging him on. T