"I am."

"You have a brother who is a major in the Riverlawn regiment."

"Right again."

"And your father is the colonel of the command."

"I call him my father. He is in reality my uncle."

"It's the same thing--so far as I am concerned."

"I don't see how that concerns you at all."

"Don't you? I am bound to have that money back."

"We haven't got it."

"Never mind, a colonel of a regiment is responsible for the actions of
his men; eh, Dick?"

"To be sure--undoubtedly," answered Colonel Bradner, and he winked his
eye suggestively.

"Which means that you are going to try to get your money from Colonel
Lyon?" said Artie, indignantly.

"Which means that or something like it. I don't care if the colonel pays
it, or the major, so long as I get it back in gold. I won't take any
more United States shinplasters. In a few months more they won't be
worth the paper they are printed on."

"That's as true as you're born," put in Colonel Bradner.

"What about Confederate scrip?"

"It will be as good as gold--in a short time. But we are talking too
much, and I came here on another errand." The guerilla turned to his
brother-in-law. "You can keep him locked up for about forty-eight hours,
can't you?"

"I had planned to lock him up before you came," answered the crippled
veteran. "There is a pantry in the cellar which will make a capital
cell."

"All right. Joe, lead the way, and you will follow him, Lyon. I will
come after," said the guerilla chief. "March!"

"Supposing I refuse to be locked up," ventured Artie.

"I will put a bullet through your head without hesitation."

"You are a generous enemy, to say the least," was the young captain's
comment; and without further words he moved off.

The colored man led the way through the hallway to the rear, where
there was an enclosed stairway to the cellar. The latter place was
gloomy, and the air far from wholesome. Soon the three stood before the
pantry which had been mentioned. It was a square affair, built of heavy
planking and with an equally heavy door. There was a bolt on the door,
and likewise a padlock.

"Now, Captain, you will step inside," said the guerilla, grimly. "And
let me utter a word of caution. One of the negroes shall stand guard,
and at the first attempt to escape he shall fire on you."

Artie entered the pantry, and the door was immediately closed, locked,
and bolted. A moment later Gossley walked away and returned upstairs.
What the negro Joe did, Artie did not know.

The cellar had been damp and unwholesome, the pantry was more so, and
the first breath of air he took into his lungs made Artie shudder. Was
it possible he would be kept in such a place as this for forty-eight
hours, and in his wet clothing?

"I must get out,--if such a thing is possible," he said to himself. "But
I must be careful what I do, or the guard will shoot at me. Those
negroes fear their master, and they are bound to obey orders."

Waiting for a while, to make certain he was really alone, Artie brought
forth a match and lit it. The tiny blaze revealed to him a long splinter
of pitch-pine board, and this he ignited into a tiny torch, not daring
to let it burn too freely for fear of being smothered by the smoke.

As has been said, the pantry was built of heavy planking. It was five
feet from front to back and side to side, and in the rear were several
shelves, now swept of their contents. Behind the shelving were several
small boards, put up as if they covered a cellar window. Overhead were
the beams and boards of the parlor floor of the mansion, and beneath was
a cement bottom as hard as stone.

The under shelf in the closet was quite low, and removing the shelves
above it, Artie used it as a seat, and gave himself up to his
reflections. It must be confessed that he felt decidedly blue. He was
caged like a rat in a trap, and what his captors intended to do next
with him there was no telling.

"I wonder if they will send to father for money?" he asked himself.
"Gossley intimated as much. This is a new way of handling a prisoner in
this country. Gossley ought to be an Italian brigand. I shouldn't wonder
if he sends a note to the colonel, threatening, if the money is not
forthcoming, to shoot me. And he will shoot me, too--there is no doubt
of that. The man has no more heart than a grindstone--he showed that
when he attempted to hang Price, the miller."

Artie was not one to sit down and kick his heels in dejection. To him,
'while there was life there was hope,' and having examined the sides and
front of his prison, he turned his attention to the rear. A little work
loosened one of the small boards previously mentioned. He was about to
tear the board away, when he heard footsteps in the cellar; and he
shoved the board back into place.

It was Martha Bradner who had come down, accompanied by the negro Joe.
Evidently the woman wanted nothing more than to render the young
Unionist uncomfortable.

"Hope you like the cell?" she began.

"Thank you, Madam."

"What is that strange smell? Have you been burning something?"

"Nothing of any consequence," returned Artie. He had put out the
pitch-pine torch and hid it behind him.

"My brother is going to get square for the terrible manner in which your
regiment treated him," went on the lady of the house, maliciously.

"He is holding me for a hostage, is that it?"

"You will find out fast enough, young man."

"Is he going to make his demands at once?"

"No. He has important work for General Bragg that must first be attended
to," answered the lady, who had not yet learned the value of silence
upon certain occasions.

"Then he is a messenger for the general, eh? That is quite a high
position to occupy."

"No higher than Daniel deserves," was the airy reply. "My brother is a
great soldier, were his real ability recognized."

"No doubt he is a big man,--if General Bragg trusts him to do his
scouting for him. It's hard work to play the part of a spy in a Union
camp, I can tell you that."

"Daniel is fully equal to the task," said the lady.

She seemed totally ignorant of the fact that Artie was "drawing her
out," and that she was letting her tongue run altogether too fast. Her
brother had told her something of his mission, and she wanted this
Northern mudsill to know what an important man that brother really was.

"Perhaps your brother won't get back into the Confederate lines to tell
all that he has learned," continued Artie.

"He'll be back to-morrow morning. He has a first-class horse, and the
Union password, and he--"

"Martha! What are you doing down there?" came in the voice of Colonel
Dick Bradner, as he appeared at the head of the cellar stairs. "I
thought you promised Dan to leave the prisoner alone for the present."

"I am not hurting him--nor is he hurting me," called back Mrs. Bradner.

"I wouldn't talk too much to him--at least, not about our affairs or
Dan's."

"Colonel, I am able to manage for myself," was the icy response to this
suggestion. "If it had not been for me we would not have captured
this--this good-for-nothing Yankee."

"Perhaps that is true, my dear. But be sure and tell him nothing about
Dan."

"Oh, dear, I can never do anything without your interference!" burst out
the lady, petulantly. "Joe, lock him in again;" and she flounced out of
the cellar, past the colonel, who tried in vain to detain her, and up to
her own room. The negro did as ordered, and Artie was left once more to
himself.

What the captain had learned filled him with interest. Gossley was not
only going to hold him for the money that might be gotten out of such a
proceeding, but he was going to hold him until a secret mission for
General Bragg could be executed. The guerilla chief was now a spy within
the Union lines.

"If only Life knew that, and knew I was here," he half groaned. "I must
get away from here--not only for my own sake, but in order to make
Gossley a prisoner and thus prevent him from carrying any news of
importance to the Confederates. How can I get away?"

Over and over again Artie asked himself that question. In the meantime
he began work on the board again, this time without a light. After
several minutes of twisting and pulling the board came off, revealing
several panes of glass, set in a window frame. But beyond the glass was
a mass of dirt, showing that the cellar opening had been completely
closed up from the outside.

For the instant the captain was dismayed; then his natural buoyancy of
spirit returned. "I can dig that dirt away, sooner or later," he
muttered, and set to work removing the glass.

A job of this sort looks easy, on paper; in reality Artie found the task
quite hard, and it took the best part of an hour to remove the panes
without making a noise. The glass out of the way, he drew his
pocket-knife and began to dig at the dirt, which came away easily,
falling in clods into his hand. The clods he placed on the cement
flooring directly under the opening.

The ground had been banked up for nearly three feet, so it took some
time to reach daylight. But at last the blade of the knife cut into the
roots of the sodding, and Artie felt that liberty was only a question
of a few minutes more. He worked away diligently, and soon had a hole as
big as his hand. Through this he peered anxiously. Was there a guard
outside, ready to frustrate his design?




CHAPTER XVI

THE HOLDING-UP OF THE CLOSED CARRIAGE


Artie found it still raining outside, harder than before, and the
landscape was dreary and deserted,--neither man nor beast being in
sight.

"That remark about putting the negroes on guard was only meant to
frighten me," he thought. "Now to get out and find my horse, and I'll
make it warm for Major Dan Gossley and his hot-headed relatives. I'll
show them that they cannot make a Union officer a prisoner with
impunity."

The young captain recommenced his digging, and presently the hole was
sufficiently large to admit the passage of his body, for Artie was of
slender build, and advancement in the army had not puffed him up with
pride. Undaunted by the rain, which covered the passageway with mud, he
crawled forth, on to the mansion lawn. A hasty look around convinced
him that his egress had not been discovered.

He was on a side lawn, and to get to the gateway of the road, must pass
to the front of the house. But wishing to remain unnoticed, he did not
take the direct course, but backed away with all speed for the nearest
grove of trees. Once these were reached, he made a long detour, coming
out near the spot where he had left his animal tied to a tree.

The horse was gone, and as the equine was one not in the habit of either
breaking or straying away, he rightfully concluded that Colonel Dick
Bradner had had him taken to the plantation stables, directly after the
surrender in the sitting room.

"I've got to have the horse, that is all there is to it," he muttered.
"I wonder if I can't get him without arousing the whole household?"

It must be remembered that Artie was unarmed, and he knew that if
discovered, it would go hard with him. But he was full of grit, and
after a moment's consideration, started on another detour, this time in
the direction of the quarters for horses, visible through a grove of
walnut trees.

The larger of the barns reached, Artie found the doors wide open, for
the day was now fairly warm despite the rain, and he slipped inside. As
he did so, a negro voice broke on his ear:--

    "De Yankees da hab got ter run,
      Da cannot fight no mo',
    We'll knock 'em wid de sword an' gun,
      An' da'll surrender suah!"

It was the negro Sam who was doing the singing, while cleaning up
Artie's horse, that had been tied up in a large box stall. The colored
man was taking his time at the job, thinking he had the whole day before
him.

Ere Artie caught sight of either Sam or the horse, he espied something
else which made his heart bound with satisfaction. On a feed-box lay the
gun Sam had handled while on guard in the sitting room. It was
double-barrelled and loaded ready for use.

Making certain that the negro was the only person about the stables, the
captain advanced cautiously and secured the firearm. He had it well in
hand, when Sam swung around and discovered him.

"Who--wha--what--" began the slave, staring at him as though he were a
ghost.

"Silence!" whispered Artie, and pointed the gun at the negro's head.

"Please don't go fo' to shoot me, Cap'n!"

"I won't, if you will remain quiet and answer my questions truthfully.
If you attempt to cry out--"

"I won't cry out--'deed I won't!" was the trembling answer.

"All right. Now tell me the truth. Where is Major Gossley?"

"Went out, sah, 'bout quarter of an hour ago."

"On horseback?"

"Yes, sah."

"Do you know where he went?"

"I ain't suah, sah, but t'ink he went to Rover."

"Did he say anything about coming back?"

"He dun tole missus he would be back in about two houhs."

"You are telling me the truth? Remember, if you lie to me it may cost
you your life."

"I'se tole yo' de truf, Cap'n--deed I has," answered Sam, earnestly. He
was still so scared he could scarcely speak.

"I will soon find out. I am glad to see you have rubbed down my horse.
Now saddle him as quick as you can."

"Yes, sah."

The negro sprang to work, and as he moved around Artie continued to keep
him covered with the gun. In a few minutes the horse was ready for use,
and then the young captain made the slave bring out one of Colonel Dick
Bradner's animals likewise. Both were taken to a rear doorway, out of
sight of the mansion.

"Now get up there and come along with me," said Artie, as he hopped into
the saddle. "And no treachery."

"Whar yo' gwine ter take me, Cap'n?"

"To the Union camp, so that you can't give your master the alarm. Do
what I want you to do, and you will suffer no harm. In the sitting room
you were only obeying your master's orders, so I shan't blame you for
that."

At these words Sam was evidently much relieved, and he consented to show
the way by a back path to the side road. With the negro in front of
him, Artie put spurs to his steed, and soon gained the fork where he had
separated from Life Knox. He found the captain of the seventh company
taking it easy under the thick shelter of a clump of trees and some
brush.

"Well, Captain, you've been a long time getting back," he remarked, as
he gazed questioning at Artie with the gun and then at the negro. "Had
some adventure, I reckon?"

"That's it, Life, and there is no time to waste in giving particulars. I
wonder how near the nearest troops are?"

"A company of mounted infantry passed this place less than five minutes
ago."

"Can we overtake them, do you think?"

"I don't see why not. They weren't moving fast. They had struck the
wrong road, and thought some of going back."

"We must bring them back. Come on!" and away went the captain, with Sam
beside him and Life Knox just in advance. As they progressed, Artie told
his tale, to which the tall Kentuckian listened closely.

"You are right," he said, when Artie had concluded. "We must capture
this Gossley by all means; and it will be as well to put a guard over
the mansion and place Colonel Bradner and his wildcat of a wife under
military arrest. There is no telling how much harm that couple has been
doing the Union cause."

Through the rain they soon discerned the company of mounted infantry
returning, having found the mud and quicksands too much for the horses.
They were a body of Michigan men, under the command of Captain Allen
Fordick.

"I am under no special orders, having finished my mission to this
neighborhood," said the captain, when they had told him why he was
wanted. "I'll take hold with pleasure. That spy ought to be captured, if
such a thing is possible. I thought the rebels had given up the spy
business since Williams and Peter were hung."

The captain of the mounted infantry referred to a case which early in
the month had challenged the attention of the entire North and South.
Two young men presented themselves at the headquarters of Colonel Baird
and represented themselves as inspectors from Washington, sent on to
inspect the outposts. They showed proper papers supposed to be signed by
Adjutant General Thomas and by General, afterwards President, Garfield,
then chief of Rosecrans's staff, and were allowed to begin their work.
But soon a suspicion was excited, and the pair were captured just as
they were about to pass out of the Union lines. They were searched, and
the sword of one was found to be marked C. S. A.--Confederate States of
America. General Rosecrans was telegraphed to and denounced them as
pretenders. A drum-head court-martial was ordered at quarter to five in
the morning, and the two Confederates broke down and confessed. They
begged for clemency, but orders had been to hang them if they were found
guilty, and at half past ten in the morning they were executed in the
presence of a large body of troops. This act was denounced in the South,
but, terrible as it was, it was in strict accord with the rules of war.

From the negro, the three captains, riding abreast, in advance of the
mounted infantry, learned in what direction lay the road Major Gossley
would most likely use in returning from Rover. It was little more than a
foot-path, running through the plantation fields and coming up over a
foot-bridge to the creek in the rear.

"I would advise hiding in the woods close to the house," said Artie,
when consulted. "A dozen men can surround the house, to prevent the
colonel and his wife from taking French leave."

"But they may have taken leave already," suggested Life, and as he spoke
he saw a covered carriage approaching. "Perhaps they are in this."

"They must be!" cried Artie, as the carriage came to a sudden halt, and
the negro spoke to somebody inside. "Sam, isn't that Joe on the box?"

"Yes, Cap'n."

"Then it is Colonel Bradner's rig, sure," went on the young officer.
"Forward, and we'll soon have them prisoners!" and away he dashed in the
lead. By the time he had come alongside of the turnout the negro
coachman had turned about and was lashing the team furiously, in an
attempt to escape in the opposite direction.

"Stop that team, or I will fire!" ordered Artie, and aimed the gun he
still carried.

At these words a scream came from the carriage, and then from under a
black canvas cover was thrust the face of Mrs. Bradner.

"Don't you dare stop us, you miserable Yankee!" she screamed. "I won't
have it!"

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Martha," came from the colonel, in a
lower tone.

"Stop, I say," went on Artie, and placed the muzzle of the gun within
two feet of the negro driver's head. Without delay Joe drew up, and the
carriage came to a stop.

"Go ahead! Don't stop!" screamed Mrs. Bradner, more unreasonable than
ever.

"Madam, you had best keep quiet," said Captain Fordick. "We know what
you and your husband have been doing to Captain Lyon, and you can both
consider yourselves under military arrest."

"Under arrest!" gasped the lady. "How dare you speak to me in this
insulting fashion!"

"I dare by the authority of the United States. You will please keep
quiet while the negro drives you back to the house."

"I won't keep quiet! I'll--"

"Oh, Martha, shut up!" broke in the colonel. "You'll only make matters
worse."

"What, Dick Bradner, do you turn against me?" was the indignant query.
"Have you no backbone left to stand up against these--these vile
Northern mudsills?"

"If you don't keep quiet I'll have you bound and gagged, Madam," said
Captain Fordick, after whispering to Artie.

"You won't do--"

"Yes, I will. Cameron and Waltling, advance and bind this woman. If she
says another word, gag her."

For one moment the lady of the plantation glared at the speaker. Then
her courage gave way, and she sank back and burst into tears.

"Oh, please--please don't touch me!" she moaned. "I'll--I'll keep
quiet--I didn't mean anything by what I said."

"Very well then--see you remain silent." The captain of the mounted
infantry turned to the negro driver. "Turn back to where you came from,
and lose no time in driving."

"Yes, Mars'r Ossifer!" replied Joe, promptly, and there was a grin on
his ebony face, as though he rather enjoyed the discomfiture of his
mistress.

With roads so bad, it was hard work to get the closed carriage back to
the mansion, and once it looked as if the turnout would have to be
abandoned in the mud. But the trip was finally concluded, and the
colonel and his downcast spouse were marched into the sitting room.

"Now, Colonel Bradner, the boot is on the other leg," remarked Artie,
and it must be confessed the young captain could not help smiling. "How
do you like the situation?"

"I don't like it," grumbled the crippled advocate of the Southern cause.
"But I have sense enough not to kick;" with a significant glance at his
wife.

"Dick Bradner, if we ever--" began Mrs. Bradner, when a look from
Captain Fordick silenced her. All three of the Union captains now
questioned Bradner concerning Gossley's return.

"He won't be back--he has gone to join Bragg," said the colonel, before
his wife could speak.

"He will be back--to punish you all," burst out Mrs. Bradner, and then
covered her face with her hands, as she realized the mistake she had
made. "Oh, what have I done now?" she wailed.

"Made a fool of yourself again," answered the colonel, bluntly. "That
speech may cost Dan his life."

"Oh, I didn't mean it;" and she burst into tears. Leaving her husband to
comfort her as he saw fit, the Unionists left the couple in the sitting
room. Several weapons they had possessed had been taken from them, and
now a guard was stationed in the hallway outside of the door, and
another guard in the garden under the sitting-room windows. This done,
the three captains prepared to capture Major Dan Gossley as soon as he
should make his appearance.




CHAPTER XVII

THE CAPTURE OF THE CONFEDERATE SPY


As previously agreed upon, the mounted infantry had secreted themselves
about the mansion and along the foot-path leading across the brook
bridge in the rear. The latter point was well wooded, and it was an easy
matter for the thirty or forty men stationed at that point to keep out
of sight. It still rained incessantly, and the riders were glad enough
to keep under the densest trees they could find.

Artie and Life took positions at the head of the company across the
bridge, leaving Captain Fordick on the opposite side of the foot-path
with half of the soldiers. In these positions nearly an hour went by
without anything unusual turning up.

Artie had been worrying about what the general would say if Life and he
did not report at headquarters, but the tall Kentuckian assured him that
matters had been arranged by having one of the mounted infantrymen take
a written report. "Others have already tried to get through, and found
the road impassable," he added. "So the news won't be new even when it
does come."

Presently from a distance came the splashing of a horse's hoofs through
the pools of water formed in the path, and Artie held up his hand
significantly. "Wait until we make sure it is not the wrong person," he
whispered.

A few seconds passed, and a man rode up. He was dressed in the suit of a
Union soldier, and was not Gossley. He headed directly for the mansion,
but soon turned and rode for the barn.

"What can this mean?" asked Life, but Artie shook his head in
perplexity. Then came the sound of another horse's hoofs, and Major
Gossley rode into view. He, too, started for the mansion, but the other
arrival hailed him from the barn; and both entered that structure.

"Now I reckon we'll hear something worth listening to," said Life Knox.
"Come on, Artie." He turned to an infantryman standing by. "Send your
captain after us without delay."

There was, however, no need to send for Captain Fordick, for he was
already coming to join them. Borrowing a pistol to take the place of the
gun, Artie led the way, and the other two came after. Soon they were by
the side of the barn, and in a position to overhear all that was being
said by those inside.

"It's queer I missed you, Rose," Gossley was saying. "I don't understand
it."

"I had to be careful not to excite suspicion, Gossley, and it was some
time before I could get away. But I've got the information for you, and
if you want to do General Bragg any good you had best make off with it
without delay."

"Well, what is the information?"

"Here it is,--on a map I prepared last night. Here is the territory with
the names of the troops stationed at different points. The attack on the
centre and left is only a ruse, and the main attack will be on Bragg's
right, which the Union army will try to turn. Once the turn is made,
Rosecrans intends to push on with all speed until Tullahoma is reached."

"He'll never get there," muttered Major Gossley. "We'll fight them on
the right for all they are worth, and beat them back; see if we don't.
Lieutenant, have a drink," and he pulled a whiskey-flask from his
pocket. Both men drank a large portion of the fiery liquor, and the
Confederate spy returned the flask to his pocket. The map was stowed
away, inside of the major's boot.

"The leather is split in two," he explained to his companion. "Even if
the boot was pulled off they wouldn't discover the map."

"You are better prepared than Major AndrГ©," laughed his companion.
"Well, I must be getting back. Good-by, and good luck to you, Major
Gossley."

"The same to you, Lieutenant Blevlich; and you can rest assured General
Bragg won't forget your service."

The two shook hands and prepared to leave the barn. But Captain Fordick
had sent out a signal, and a score of infantrymen on their horses
surrounded the building.

"Surrender!" was the command of the mounted infantry's captain.
"Surrender, or we will fire upon you!"

"Trapped!" yelled Gossley, in consternation, and his bronzed face grew
pale. His companion for the moment said nothing.

"Do you surrender, or not?" demanded Captain Fordick.

"Who are you?"

"I am Captain Fordick, commanding the Fordick Michigan mounted infantry,
unattached," was the reply. "But you haven't answered my question yet."

"I won't surrender, to be hung for what I've done," burst out the
traitorous lieutenant, and cutting his horse, he urged him out of the
barn. "Back, if you value your life!" and he thrust his pistol into
Captain Artie Lyon's face.

The young captain was about to fire on the fellow, when Life Knox's
weapon rang out, and the lieutenant pitched forward in his saddle and
fell down at his horse's side. Frightened, the steed took to his heels,
running directly for the brook. The lieutenant's foot had caught fast in
the stirrup and he was dragged along, his head striking the ground at
every step. In a twinkle, horse and man had disappeared into the water
together.

In the meantime Gossley had fired, and an infantryman riding behind
Captain Fordick was struck in the hip. The Confederate spy fired half a
dozen shots, and then leaped from his horse's back into the hay-mow
above. As he disappeared from view he yelled that he would kill anybody
who attempted to capture him.

"Better get back," said Life. "There is no use in running a useless
risk. We'll make him come down from his perch as fast as Davy Crockett
brought the 'possum from the tree."

The advice was good, and captains and men scattered to points where the
Confederate could not get a chance at him.

"Now, if you'll let me take the lead I'll bring him down in short
order," said the captain of the seventh company of the Riverlawns.

"All right, do as you please," answered the Michigan captain, and Artie
nodded in approval.

Advancing on foot to a tree directly behind the barn, Life called out to
Gossley,--

"Are you coming down, Gossley?"

"Not much."

"You had better give yourself up. We are about fifty to one, you know."

"I won't give myself up. You'll hang me as you hung Williams and Peter.
I'm going to die game."

"Wouldn't you rather be hung than burnt alive?" went on Life, coolly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that if you won't come down and surrender, we'll burn you out."

"You can't do it. The place is too wet."

"Well, we'll smoke you out then, and shoot you as soon as you appear. If
you want to become an ordinary prisoner, now is your chance. I won't do
any talking with you after we have applied the torch."

At this Gossley began to say some very uncomplimentary things concerning
the Unionists in general and those outside in particular. But the tall
Kentuckian cut him short.

"I'll give you exactly two minutes in which to make up your mind," he
went on.

"Go to thunder!" growled Gossley.

"I'll go and light that torch," answered Life, and retreated.

At the end of exactly one minute and a half Gossley called to him.

"Say there!"

"Have you made up your mind to come down?"

"If I give myself up, what will you do with me?"

"Turn you over to the commander at headquarters."

"As an ordinary prisoner of war?"

"No, as a rebel spy."

"Then I won't come down," howled Gossley, and continued to say
uncomplimentary things.

But when Life really advanced with a lighted torch, his courage failed
him, and just as some loose hay was lighted, he called out that he would
give in and threw down his pistols. In another moment he came down
himself and submitted to having his hands bound behind him. Then Artie
took possession of the map placed in the bootleg.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"Turn it over to General Mitchell, who will probably take the case to
General Rosecrans."

"You can't prove anything against me," blustered the Confederate.

"Never mind, we can try pretty hard," said Life Knox, dryly.

"Have you done anything up to the house?"

"You will learn in time, I reckon," concluded Life, and hurried off
toward the brook.

Here it was ascertained that the traitorous lieutenant had paid for his
treachery with his life. The horse had dragged him over the rough stony
bottom of the brook until the man's head was fairly crushed in by hoofs
and stones. The negroes Joe and Sam were set to work digging a grave
close to the brook, and the remains were soon after buried in
this,--where they still lie, unnamed, and well-nigh forgotten.

It was now getting late, and all felt they must be on the way. Yet every
man was hungry, and it was decided that a meal should first be had at
Colonel's Bradner's expense. The negro cook, who had been hiding about
the kitchen, was brought to light, and made to promise to get ready the
best spread the plantation could provide, and it must be acknowledged
that she kept her word.

As Captain Fordick was not willing to escort a woman prisoner back to
camp, a detail was left at the mansion, taking both the lady of the
house and her husband into custody. Every weapon about the place was
confiscated, and the colored people were placed under strict
surveillance, that they might not help master and mistress in secret.

Mrs. Bradner wept bitterly when told that her brother was captured and
would be taken to the Union headquarters as a spy. On her knees she
begged Artie, Life, and Captain Fordick in turn to let Gossley go. But
this was, of course, out of the question. Now that matters had turned
out so favorably for him, Artie could not help but feel sorry for the
lady, who had allowed her mistaken patriotism to lead her so far astray,
yet he could do nothing for her, and left the place as soon as the
dinner was finished.

Two hours of hard riding brought the infantry and their prisoner to
general headquarters, and here Gossley was turned over to the proper
authorities, who sent him to a western prison, there to remain until the
close of the war. The head of the staff, although busy with numerous
other reports, listened with close attention to Artie's tale, and placed
the map taken from the spy on file.

"It was a good bit of work, Captain Lyon," he said. "And it is likely to
be remembered to your credit."

"It was only my duty, sir," answered Artie. "Any Union soldier would
have done as much."

"Possibly. But let me say, it is a big thing to catch a spy," and then
Artie was dismissed to join his company, along with Life Knox. The
unattached infantrymen were ordered to remain in the vicinity of Colonel
Bradner's plantation, which was afterwards transformed into a temporary
hospital.

By this time the cavalry, of which the Riverlawns formed a portion, had
passed through Eagleville, to do some sharp skirmishing at Rover. Here
the Confederates attempted to make a stand, but the forces under General
Mitchell were too powerful for them, and they broke and filed down the
road leading to Unionville and Shelbyville. At the same time another
cavalry force made a demonstration on the extreme left, and some
infantry began to operate about Woodbury. Thus was Bragg completely
blinded to what the true intention of the Union commander was, and sent
force after force to his left when he should have hurried them in
exactly the opposite direction.

When Artie reached his command, to relieve Lieutenant Black, he found
Deck in his old place at the head of the battalion. The major was pale
and nervous, and probably weaker than he cared to show, yet he insisted
on remaining where he was, against the advice of his father and both
Majors Truman and Belthorpe.

"We're bound to drive the Confederates as far as Unionville before
nightfall," he said, enthusiastically. "The battalion has been doing
splendidly, and Black couldn't have done better."

The colonel was also glad to see Artie back, and astonished at the tale
the young man had to tell. But the talk between the two was cut short by
an order from General Mitchell. They had been halting just outside of
Rover. Now they were commanded to proceed to a side road and cut off any
Confederates who were trying to escape to Unionville from that
direction.

In two minutes the cavalry was off on a gallop, feeling that some hot
work was in store for them. And that feeling did not prove a
disappointment.




CHAPTER XVIII

THE EVACUATION OF TULLAHOMA


On the afternoon of this 23d day of June, General Granger had left
Triune, with his forces, and after but little fighting had driven the
Confederates back to Christiana, a small village on the road from
Murfreesboro to Shelbyville. At the same time the cavalry under General
Mitchell--commonly called Stanley's cavalry, although the major-general
was absent--moved along as already told, having with them the
Riverlawns. The two commands met at the village mentioned, and after a
brief conference it was decided that both should proceed onward in an
endeavor to drive the enemy from Guy's Gap back into the rifle-pits at
Shelbyville.

Going into the Gap after the Confederates was no easy task. The way was
rough in some spots, and knee-deep with mud in others, and the forces
went forward in the lightest marching order possible. It was out of the
question to use one road alone, as each regiment that passed over it
rendered it all the more torn up and difficult of travel, and troops
were consequently sent on in several ways.

Colonel Lyon rode at the head of his column, with Deck beside him. The
Riverlawns were riding by fours, but now the way widened, and the
horsemen came up by eights. For half an hour no enemy had been sighted,
but now the vedettes came back announcing several battalions just above
the bend.

"And some of the company are sharpshooters," said the leader. "They
picked off poor Rolloson at a distance of three hundred yards."

Without hesitation Colonel Lyon summoned Major Belthorpe to his side and
explained the situation. "I wish you would send Captain Knox's company
to the front. I think it would be as well for him to spread his men to
the left of the road, but he can use his own judgment after he sees the
lay of the land."

As we know, Captain Knox's men were more or less experts at shooting,
they being Kentuckians who were used to handling firearms almost daily
in the woods and on the border. The order was transmitted to Life, who
took his command ahead on the double-quick. This accomplished, the
remaining companies continued on the road until another bend was gained.

The Confederate sharpshooters had stationed themselves behind some heavy
brush, not daring to climb the trees for fear of being surrounded. No
sooner had the seventh company of the Riverlawns appeared than they
opened a sharp fire, wounding two privates.

The flashes of fire and the smoke served to locate the sharpshooters in
spite of the downpour of rain, but instead of answering the shots at
once, Life took his command around to the shelter of some other brush.
Then he commenced to work up on the Confederates' rear, picking off
three men in less than as many minutes.

By this time Deck had his battalion ready for a rush, and as soon as
Life sent word where he was located, the young major started forward on
a gallop. He, however, went but two hundred yards, just enough to give
the enemy the impression that a direct attack was contemplated. Up came
the Confederates, as expected, firing as rapidly as they could. Then,
realizing how they were caught between two fires, they started to
retreat, only to find themselves faced by Life Knox's command.

"Take aim! Fire!" cried the tall Kentuckian, and the command discharged
their weapons, not as a regular company would, but as soon as a proper
"bead" could be drawn. This fire was most deadly, and when Deck ordered
another advance, the Confederates began to flee in confusion, about half
of them taking to the main road of Guy's Gap, and the balance taking to
the mountain trails.

"Forward, men, we have them on the run now!" shouted Major Deck, waving
his sabre. His illness was now forgotten, and he rode well in advance,
by Captain Abbey's side. The first battalion was far in advance of the
rest of the regiment, and as it swept along, Life Knox's company joined
it in the rear without waiting for Major Belthorpe's battalion to
appear.

The road now led upward, and at the top of a rise, the Confederate force
took another stand. There were in all about four hundred men, about the
same number Deck possessed, counting the seventh company in with his
own. Without hesitation the major ordered the charge, and up the hill
went the cavalry at full speed, firing as they advanced.

The cracking of guns was incessant, and now came a fierce hand-to-hand
conflict, as the first and second companies of the Riverlawns rode
directly upon the front rank of the enemy. Infantry and cavalry splashed
and slipped in the mud, and many a sabre-stroke fell harmlessly upon the
flying ends of a water-soaked army cloak. But the top of the hill was
gained and held, and with a yell of defiance the Confederates fell back
to where their main body was located, at the other end of the Gap. Deck
then halted, to allow the rest of the regiment to overtake him.

It was decided by General Mitchell to follow up every advantage gained,
and soon another advance was ordered, directly along the main road of
Guy's Gap, and for nearly two hours the battle raged, the Confederates
trying vainly to hold their own. At last they broke, and fled directly
to the rifle-pits in front of Shelbyville.

"We've got them pretty well back now," said Artie, to Life Knox, after
the engagement had been going on for the best part of two hours. "I
don't believe General Mitchell will want us to charge those rifle-pits
to-day."

"There is nothing like keeping at them when they have been retreating,"
answered the tall Kentuckian. "By to-morrow they may be braced up
again."

"Yes, but Wheeler is here with a very large force of cavalry, Life."

"So I've heard. Well, we'll obey orders, I reckon, no matter what they
are," concluded the commander of the seventh company.

Orders were not long in coming. It was about six o'clock in the evening,
and now General Granger joined Mitchell with his infantry once more, and
another advance was ordered, with the cavalry again to the front. Away
went the horsemen, straight for the trenches. Many took flying leaps
over the openings, sending the mud into the very faces of the surprised
and bewildered Confederates. The attack was short and sharp, and unable
to withstand the shock of cavalry backed up by Granger's fine infantry,
the enemy threw down their arms and started pell-mell for Shelbyville
proper. The Union forces pursued, and captured a number of Confederates
near the bank of Duck River. The larger portion of the Confederate
cavalry, under General Wheeler, however, escaped by swimming their
animals across the turbulent and swollen stream. At seven o'clock the
town had surrendered, giving up a number of small arms, three cannon,
and a quantity of corn, which proved highly acceptable.

The corps commanders were now called to general headquarters and each
received his orders in writing. McCook was to advance on the Shelbyville
pike, turn to the left on the Wartrace road, and seize and hold Liberty
Gap; General Granger to threaten Middleton; General Thomas to advance on
the Manchester pike, and hold, if possible, Hoover's Gap; some cavalry
under Turchin to establish a lookout toward McMinnville, and the balance
of the cavalry under Mitchell to attack the rebel cavalry at Middleton.

These movements were executed promptly, despite floods and the wretched
condition of the roads. The fighting was sharp, the Confederates
disputing every foot of territory. Both sides suffered heavily, and the
weather made matters worse, yet nobody grumbled, for the enlisted men
were now becoming hardened to the campaign, and realized that this
fighting was only the introduction to the tremendous battles still to
come.

The morning of the 28th found Thomas ready to start the move which was
to bring the campaign to a climax. McCook and Crittenden were slowly but
surely concentrating at Manchester. Thomas's first movement was to send
Colonel Wilder to Dechard, where this command destroyed about three
hundred yards of the railroad which the Confederates had been using. The
next day the Tracy City railroad was also placed in a useless condition.

On the 29th of June the army was ready for the final blow at Tullahoma.
The advanced troops were within a mile and three-quarters of the city.
The corps of McCook and Crittenden came up and closed in, and the main
body of the cavalry, including the Riverlawns, arrived at Manchester.
Thus it was felt Tullahoma was, after a nine days' campaign, completely
at the mercy of the Northern forces.

A surprise now awaited General Rosecrans. A citizen of the town came to
Thomas with the report that General Bragg had fled, taking all his
troops with him. At first the Union commander could not believe the
news, and, to make sure, he sent General Steedman ahead to make an
investigation. The general marched into Tullahoma, captured a few
prisoners, and verified the report. Instantly General Rosecrans laid
plans to pursue the flying Confederates. But though a few skirmishes
resulted, and a brave stand was taken by both sides at Elk River, the
pursuit proved of no avail, and Bragg crossed the Cumberland Mountains
unmolested, leaving, as the fruits of the campaign, Middle Tennessee
free from Confederate domination.

It has been said by several authorities that the Tullahoma campaign was
the greatest conducted by General Rosecrans, being even superior to that
which came immediately after. The enemy was dislodged from first one
strongly fortified position and then another, and sent flying over the
mountains in the wildest confusion. Nearly seventeen hundred prisoners
were taken, and also eleven pieces of artillery and an immense amount
of army stores. The loss to the Union army was about five hundred in
killed, wounded, and missing.

"We've cleared them out!" cried Artie, enthusiastically, when the news
went the rounds that the Confederates had really crossed the mountains
and were on their way to Chattanooga.

"Yes, and the two armies are just about where they were last summer,"
answered Deck. He was resting on a cot in his rain-soaked tent, while
his brother sat on a camp-stool, writing a letter to the folks at home.
"My, but what a washing-out we've had!"

Despite the hardships, however, Deck was feeling better steadily, until
it could almost be said that he was his old self again. He had made
several inquiries about Thomas Derwiddie, the Confederate whose life he
had saved, but nothing had been heard concerning the escaped prisoner.

In a skirmish on Duck River, Colonel Lyon had been struck in the leg.
The wound was not serious, but the officer was told by the surgeon who
attended him that he had best keep out of the saddle for a while, and
this advice was now being followed. As a consequence, the command of
the Riverlawns had fallen upon Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon.

The soldiers were feeling good, and the Fourth of July was celebrated in
camp in a rousing fashion, with huge camp-fires, a double supply of
rations, and the roasting of several small porkers confiscated at
Manchester, when that town was first entered. In the evening several
pieces of "home-made" fireworks were set off, and the more hilarious of
the boys in blue got up a dance, ladies being represented by several
cavalrymen who had appropriated portions of feminine attire found in
deserted houses that had been passed. The "boys" were bound to have
their play at any cost, no matter how tired the recent hard marching and
riding had left them.

The appearance of the Army of the Cumberland in the centre of Tennessee
once again filled the inhabitants with dismay. Bragg had assured them of
his protection, and the planters had taken him at his word and tilled
and cultivated their fields. Now, instead of these products going to
enrich the Confederacy, they were confiscated by the Union forces, as a
necessity of war. As was natural, the farmers protested; but these
protests were of no avail, excepting in rare cases, when payments were
made for what was taken.

The Riverlawns had been ordered to Manchester, and were encamped not far
from the railroad. They were now ordered to Salem, and reaching there,
found themselves brigaded with Major-General Stanley's entire force.

"Something is up," remarked Major Deck to Major Belthorpe. "But what it
is I can't imagine."

"I heard something said about a shortness of horses," answered Kate
Belthorpe's brother. "Perhaps we are to go on a raid and see what we can
round up."

Major Belthorpe's surmise proved correct, as Deck soon learned by the
orders given him. The entire cavalry was to combine in a grand sweep to
Huntsville, Alabama, rounding up as many horses and as much cattle and
other live stock as possible. The advance was to cover several miles of
territory, and a dozen different roads were pursued, the start being
made on July the 12th.

As Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon was suffering from an attack of chills and
fever, Major Lyon was placed in command of the regiment. He was
instructed to move almost directly southward, by the way of a small
village called Crespin, the name of which has since been changed. The
road was a fair one, and ten o'clock in the morning saw the Riverlawns
on the move. It was not intended that the round-up should last more than
four or five days, and the cavalry went in the lightest possible
marching order.

Less than ten miles had been covered when the scouts in advance, under
Captain Ripley of the eighth company, sent word back that a small
detachment of Confederates were in advance, driving about thirty horses
southward just as hard as they could. Besides the horses, they had three
Union prisoners, one of whom wore the uniform of a captain of artillery.

"Three prisoners and thirty horses," mused Deck. "We must stop them, by
all means." Without delay he sent for Majors Truman and Belthorpe and
gave the necessary orders, and soon the Riverlawns were making the best
possible speed over the torn-up pike. A distance of two miles was
covered in less than twenty minutes, when another report came in that
astonished Deck beyond measure. The report was as follows:--

"Confederate force, horses, and prisoners have utterly disappeared. No
buildings or woods for them to hide in. Cannot guess what has become of
them. Looks as if the earth had swallowed them up, but the quicksands
are not quite bad enough for that. Will keep our eyes wide open, but
that is all we can do."

Without delay Deck, accompanied by Major Belthorpe, rode forward to
investigate.




CHAPTER XIX

IN WHICH THE RIVERLAWNS ARE CAUGHT IN A TRAP


To have a body of the enemy disappear utterly from view when there were
no hills or woods in which they might hide, was a new experience to
Major Lyon, and it was small wonder, therefore, that his brow contracted
into a frown as he urged Ceph ahead at topmost speed.

"What do you make of this, Tom?" he questioned, of the major of the
second battalion.

"Hang me if I know what to make," was the answer. "Captain Ripley must
be losing his eyesight if he can't keep forty or fifty men and nearly a
hundred horses in sight."

"Then his whole command must be losing their eyesight, for the enemy is
gone, and nobody can even guess where to."

"We'll solve the mystery somehow, Deck. But we ought to beware that we
don't fall into some trap."

It took but a few minutes to reach Captain Ripley's advance guard,
consisting of one-third of the eighth company. The captain himself had
the blankest look on his face Deck had ever beheld.

"It gets me, Major; never heard of such a thing in all my born days,"
declared the captain. "We saw them as plain as day, riding behind yonder
hedge. They didn't come out at the other end, and so I and three of the
others climbed into the trees, only to find the vicinity of the brush
deserted. Reckon the earth has swallowed 'em up."

"Well, Ripley, they have gone somewhere, that's as sure as guns," was
the answer of the young major. "Move a portion of your men to the upper
end of the brushwood, and another portion to the other side, and we'll
endeavor to get to the bottom of this mystery."