ander.

"And what did you mean?" asked Pleasanton.

"My word was not for your ear, General, of course," said the young
officer. "What I meant was that it was a shame that Hooker was coming
just at this moment, and that we could not have a brush with those
rebels on horseback, yonder."

"Eh?" said the General. "What consequence?"

"This," answered Crawford. "They brag of the rebel cavalry--they say
that we have _none_. I should like to try them, if not more than two to
one."

"Good!" said Pleasanton. "The right feeling, though a little imprudent.
You are a young officer, Captain Crawford, but they tell me you have
dash, and that sounds like it. Dash is what we want, if we can only have
steadiness with it. Your eyes are younger than mine--how many of those
rebels are there?"

[Footnote 19: March 22d, 1863.]

The rebel cavalry were now within four hundred yards, and still
advancing, though at moderate speed. Crawford looked at them closely a
moment.

"From two to three hundred, I should think," was the answer.

"By the Lord you shall have a chance!" said the veteran. "You think you
can scatter them with less than two hundred. Try it, steel against
steel. Take two squadrons, and away with you!"

"Squadrons on the right--attention!" rung out the sharp voice of the
Captain, no despondency or vexation in it now! "Draw sabres! Squadrons
forward! Column to the left--march" and rapidly as the words were
uttered the movement was executed. Other words of command followed and
were executed with equal rapidity, as the squadrons moved down to the
left, then formed on the right into line facing the foe; and it seemed
but an instant after, when the concluding words rung out: "Squadrons
forward! trot--march! Gallop--march! Charge!" and the two squadrons of
the light dragoons, headed by the new Captain, were sweeping across the
plateau to meet the advancing rebels. Their long line of white steel
glittered ominously, and the solid earth of the plateau shook under the
hoofs of their galloping horses, few in number as they were. As they
swept on, coming nearer they discovered that their scant one hundred and
fifty were even more fearfully outnumbered than they had at first
believed; but no man drew rein and every one grasped the hilt of his
blade with a fiercer determination, as he drove the cruel spurs still
deeper into the flanks of his flying horse--lacerating the animal in
haste perhaps to impale himself!

In the more impo