"Listen to this, boys," he shouted, as the mess gathered around him and
the soldiers came running from all directions to see what the excitement
was about. "'If we've been worsted here in the West, our friends in the
East have made up for it by sweeping everything before them. Grant, the
Yankee general, has been surprised at Shiloh, his army driven pell-mell
through their camp and down under the bank of the river, where their
gunboats saved them. Johnston lived long enough to see the Yankees in
full flight and then he was killed; but Beauregard, who took his place,
telegraphs that "certain destruction awaits the enemy on the morrow."'
That would be--let me see. Why, this paper is two weeks old," he added,
in a disappointed tone, glancing at the date.

"No matter; we whipped them," exclaimed Rodney; and when some one
proposed three cheers for the Army of the Center, he pulled off his cap
and joined in with a will.

Captain Jones, who brought with him a longer face than any of his
company had ever seen him wear before, sauntered up while the cheering
was going on, and asked what it was all about. When he learned that they
were happy over the glorious news from Shiloh, he said, as he drew a
couple of papers from his pocket:

"You fellows are away behind the times. That news is old, and Beauregard
hollered before he was out of the woods. Read this later account," he
continued, handing one of the papers to Dick, and placing a finger upon
the column to which he wished to draw attention. "And after you have
read that, take the other paper and see what it says about
conscription."

The captain turned on his heel and walked away, but looked back with an
expression of astonishment on his face when he heard one of his men
exclaim:

"Has the Richmond government really passed a Conscription Act? Then I
say bully for the Richmond government. There are lots of sneaks in our
town who shouted 'sick 'em,' to us, but who were too cowardly to put on
a uniform themselves. If they have got to come in whether they want to
or not, I am a Confederate from this minute. Read about the battle
first, sergeant, and then we'll hear about the conscription law."

Dick complied, and before he got through there were some angry and
astonished men standing around him.

CHAPTER XVII.

RODNEY MEETS A FRIEND.

Sergeant Graham first read aloud the account of the second day's
fighting at Pi