s not the slightest danger that the Yankees would fire that howitzer
at him while he was going through his monkey-shines. If he is such an
awful brave man, why didn't he follow that naval officer to the roof of
the Custom House and jerk the Union flag down the minute it was hauled
up?"

"Or why doesn't he shoulder a musket and fall in with us?" chimed in
Dick. "One short campaign through Missouri mud would take some of that
nonsense out of him."

There were a good many in the army who thought that the constant
maneuvering and skirmishing that followed during the next few weeks were
not kept up because a great battle was expected, but for the purpose of
giving the men so much to do that they could not get together and talk
over the discouraging news they had recently heard. There was one
engagement fought, that of Farmington, which resulted in a victory for
the Confederates, and taught them at the same time that they were
mistaken in supposing that our troops would not venture so far into the
country that they would be out of the reach of help from the gunboats,
which had rendered them such important service at the battle of
Pittsburg Landing. Of course Rodney and Dick marched and skirmished and
fought with the rest, but they didn't care much whether they whipped or
got whipped, for the feelings that took them away from home and friends
and into the army, had long since given place to others of an entirely
different character. They didn't care as much for State Rights and
Southern independence as they did once, and if they ever got home again
the Richmond government might go to smash for all they could do to save
it. Two questions engrossed their minds, and formed the principal
subjects of their conversation: Would they be permitted to leave the
service when the year for which they enlisted expired; and if so, how
was Dick Graham going to get across the river into Missouri now that
Memphis had fallen, and the Mississippi as far down as Vicksburg was in
possession of the Federals?

In regard to the first question--there was one thing which the boys were
afraid would work against them. While nearly all the line officers of
the regiment remained with them, the field officers who had come with
them from the West had disappeared, some being promoted, some discharged
and others being sent to the hospital, new ones had taken their places
and a new staff had been appointed.

"And a lovely staff it is," said Dick, expressing