odney did not know what else to say. He
rested his hopes of safety upon the supposition that the Confederate
captain had done all his scouting on interior lines, and that he had not
been into the river counties until he came to Truman's house to rescue
him and Tom from the power of the Union men; and there was where his
good luck stood him in hand. More than that, Dick Graham was one of the
best known members of his regiment, and it would have taken a pretty
good talker to make the captain believe that there could be anything
wrong with one of Dick's friends.

While this conversation was going on Rodney noticed that the captain was
constantly on his guard, and that as often as they reached a place where
the woods came down close to the road on each side, his men closed up
the ranks without waiting for orders. Every house they passed was as
dark as a dungeon, and no sounds of music and dancing came from the
negro quarters. The people, white and black, had gone into their houses
and barred their doors to wait until these unwelcome visitors in gray
had taken themselves out of the neighborhood.

Before the captain went into camp, which he did about midnight, Tom
Percival, as we shall continue to call him, had ample time to question
the lieutenant and find out where his regiment was stationed and when he
expected to join it. The last question, however, was one that the young
officer could not answer with any degree of accuracy.

"You see we have some men with us who are not in uniform, do you not?"
said he. "Well, they are the recruits we have picked up since we have
been out on this scout. They have been terribly persecuted by the Union
men in their settlement, and want us to stop on our way back long enough
to burn those Union men out. If we do, it will delay us a day or two; if
we don't, and keep lumbering right along, we shall be with the rest of
the boys in less than forty-eight hours."

This was what Tom wanted to know; and he decided that when the squad
reached the old post-rode and turned up toward the place at which the
regiment was stationed, he would go south toward Springfield, and so
avoid the risk of meeting Dick Graham.

"I suppose you know your own business best," said the lieutenant, when
Tom announced his decision. "But I'll never go piking off through the
country alone so long as I know what I am doing. There's too much danger
in it. When you get ready to go into the service, remember that our
regimen