attle of
bayonets, the clink of bullets poured into the pouches, and the hum of
men talking in half-finished sentences.

It was to all the five a vast and stirring scene. It was the first time
that they had ever beheld a large and regular army going into action,
and they were a part of it, a part by no means unimportant. It was
Henry, with his consummate skill and daring, who had uncovered the
position of the enemy, and now, without snatching a moment's sleep, he
was ready to lead where the fray might be thickest.

The brief breakfast finished, the trumpet pealed forth again, and the
army began to move through the thick forest. A light wind, crisp with
the air of early autumn, blew, and the leaves rustled. The sun, swinging
upward in the east, poured down a flood of brilliant rays that lighted
up everything, the buff and blue uniforms, the cannon, the rifles, the
bayonets, and the forest, still heavy with foliage.

"Now! now!" thought every one of the five, "we begin the vengeance for
Wyoming!"

The scouts were well in front, searching everywhere among the thickets
for the Indian sharpshooters, who could scorch so terribly. As Braxton
Wyatt had truly said, these scouts were the best in the world. Nothing
could escape the trained eyes of Henry Ware and his comrades, and those
of Murphy, Ellerson, and the others, while off on either flank of the
army heavy detachments guarded against any surprise or turning movement.
They saw no Indian sign in the woods. There was yet a deep silence in
front of them, and the sun, rising higher, poured its golden light down
upon the army in such an intense, vivid flood that rifle barrels and
bayonets gave back a metallic gleam. All around them the deep woods
swayed and rustled before the light breeze, and now and then they caught
glimpses of the river, its surface now gold, then silver, under the
shining sun.

Henry's heart swelled as he advanced. He was not revengeful, but he had
seen so much of savage atrocity in the last year that he could not keep
down the desire to see punishment. It is only those in sheltered homes
who can forgive the tomahawk and the stake. Now he was the very first of
the scouts, although his comrades and a dozen others were close behind
him.

The scouts went so far forward that the army was hidden from them by the
forest, although they could yet hear the clank of arms and the sound of
commands.

Henry knew the ground thoroughly. He knew where the embankme