e enemy's horse, and been obliged to beat it
off. Can anybody hear anything of Stilton?"

"Let him go," roared old Grumps. "The infantry don't want any help."

"Your regiment has suffered, Colonel," answered Waldron, glancing at
the scattered files of the Fourteenth. "Halt it and reorganize it, and
let it fall in with the right of the First when Peck comes up. I shall
replace you with the Fifth. Send your Adjutant back to Colburn and
tell him to hurry along. Those fellows are making a new front over
there," he added, pointing to the centre of the hill. "I want the
Fifth, Seventh, and Tenth in _echelon_ as quickly as possible. And I
want that cavalry. Lieutenant," turning to one of his staff, "ride off
to the left and find Colonel Stilton. Tell him that I need a charge in
ten minutes."

Presently cannon opened from that part of the ridge still held by the
Confederates, the shells tearing through or over the dissolving groups
of their right wing, and cracking viciously above the heads of the
victorious Unionists. The explosions followed each other with stunning
rapidity, and the shrill whirring of the splinters was ominous. Men
began to fall again in the ranks or to drop out of them wounded. Of
all this Waldron took no further note than to ride hastily to the brow
of the ridge and look for his own artillery.

"See how he attinds to iverything himself," said Major Gahogan, who
had cantered up to the side of Fitz Hugh. "It's just a matther of
plain business, an' he looks after it loike a business man. Did ye see
us, though, Captin, whin we come in on their right flank? By George,
we murthered um. There's more'n a hundred lyin' in hapes back there.
As for old Stilton, I just caught sight of um behind that wood to our
left, an' he's makin' for the enemy's right rair. He'll have lots o'
prisoners in half an hour."

When Waldron returned to the group he was told of his cavalry's
whereabouts, and responded to the information with a smile of
satisfaction.

"Bradley is hurrying up," he said, "and Taylor is pushing their left
smartly. They will make one more tussle to recover their line of
retreat; but we shall smash them from end to end and take every gun."

He galloped now to his infantry, and gave the word "Forward!" The
three regiments which composed the _echelon_ were the Fifth on the
right, the Seventh fifty yards to the rear and left of the Fifth, the
Tenth to the rear and left of the Seventh. It was behind the Fifth