e
received an order from Jackson. "General Hill will withdraw his troops
to the left of the road, in rear of his present position, where he will
await further orders." Hill went, with shut lips. One o'clock--two
o'clock--half-past two. "O God, have mercy! _Is_ this the Army of the
Valley?"

Allan Gold, detached at dawn on scout duty, found himself about this
time nearer to the Confederate centre than to his own base of operations
at the left. He had been marking the windings of creeks, observing where
there were bridges and where there were none, the depth of channels and
the infirmness of marshes. He had noted the Federal positions and the
amount of stores abandoned, set on fire, good rice and meat, good shoes,
blankets, harness, tents, smouldering and smoking in glade and thicket.
He had come upon dead men and horses and upon wounded men and horses. He
had given the wounded drink. He had killed with the butt of his rifle a
hissing and coiled snake. He had turned his eyes away from the black and
winged covering of a dead horse and rider. Kneeling at last to drink at
a narrow, hidden creek, slumbering between vine-laden trees, he had
raised his eyes, and on the other side marked a blue scout looking,
startled, out of a hazel bush. There was a click from two muskets; then
Allan said, "Don't fire! I won't. Why should we? Drink and forget." The
blue scout signified acquiescence. "All right, Reb. I'm tired fighting,
anyway! Was brought up a Quaker, and wouldn't mind if I had stayed one!
Got anything to mix with the water?"

"No."

"Well, let's take it just dry so." Both drank, then settled back on
their heels for a moment's conversation. "Awful weather," said the blue
scout. "Didn't know there could be such withering heat! And
malaria--lying out of nights in swamps, with owls hooting and
jack-o'-lanterns round your bed! Ain't you folks most beat yet?"

"No," said the grey scout. "Don't you think you've about worn your
welcome out and had better go home?--Look out there! Your gun's slipping
into the water."

The blue recovered it. "It's give out this morning that Stonewall
Jackson's arrived on the scene."

"Yes, he has."

"Well, he's a one-er! Good many of you we wish would desert.--No; we
ain't going home till we go through Richmond."

"Well," said Allan politely, "first and last, a good many folk have
settled hereabouts since Captain John Smith traded on the Chickahominy
with the Indians. There's family graveyar