appens, and listen to orders."

Si felt a new and keener solicitude than he had ever before experienced.
Hitherto his only thoughts were as to his own safety and to do himself
credit in the discharge of his duty. Now he felt a heavy responsibility
for every man in the detachment.

He walked slowly down the front of the line, and looked into every man's
face. They appeared anxious but resolute. The face of Wat Burnham, the
Englishman, had settled into more of a bull-dog look than ever. The
Irishmen seemed eager. Abel Waite, the boy on the left, was as excited
as if a game of foot-ball was to come off. He called out:

"Say, Sergeant, I hain't got but 10 cartridges. Will that be enough?"

"It'll have to be enough for the present," answered Si. "Be careful of
'em. Don't waste none. Be sure o' your man, aim low, git under his belt,
an' be careful to ketch your hind-sight before you pull the trigger. If
we need more cartridges we'll have to find more somewhere."

From away beyond the green and yellow waves of hills came the crash of
the reopened battle. The ripping noise of regiments firing by volley was
hoarsely punctuated by the deep boom of the field-pieces.

"Attention, company! Forward March!" shout ed Lieut. Bowersox.

They swept down the mountain-side, over the next eminence, and so
onward. At every crest that they raised the uproar of the battle became
louder, the crash of musketry and the thunder of the can non more
continuous. The roads were so filled with teams being urged forward
or backward that they could not follow them, but had to make their way
through the woods and occasional fields, only keeping such direction as
would bring them quickest to some part of the stormy firing-line.

The Lieutenant and Si and Shorty tried to make themselves believe that
the noise was receding, showing that the rebels were being driven. At
times it certainly was so, and then again it would burst out,

"Nearer, clearer, deadlier than before," and their hearts would sink
again. A little past noon they came upon a hight, and there met a sight
which, for the moment, froze their blood. To their right front the
whole country was filled with men flying in the wildest confusion. All
semblance of regimental order was lost in the awful turmoil. Cannon,
sometimes drawn by two or three horses, sometimes by only one, were
plunging around amid the mob of infantrymen. Mounted officers were
wildly galloping in all directions. Colors were