Before they had disappeared the volunteers were again in motion, and the wagon came forth from its place of concealment in the woods. Now the danger was past, Jerry Rowe began to murmur and wanted to know “why they hadn’t been permitted to blow the heads off of every pesky rebel.” But Moses, the blacksmith, soon silenced him. “Jerry, you make me weary,” he said. “If we ever git to shootin’, you’ll be the fust to run. Shut up!” and Jerry did so. The encounter with the cavalry was the last incident of importance in the march to the Capitol. One Sunday was spent on the road, and the following Tuesday night saw them in Washington. They found some other commands from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York already there, in camp on the large parade ground near the White House and in the Capitol buildings. Some of the men who had come in were unarmed, but these were speedily furnished weapons by the United States authorities, and the veteran General Scott took command of the troops. Throughout the South the cry was “On to Washington!” and it was feared that the Capitol might be attacked at any time. But General Scott was alive to the situation, and, as more and more troops came in, the city was well fortified against an attack and that danger was, for the time being, averted. CHAPTER VII ANDY OFF FOR MANASSAS “Hurrah! hurrah, father, the Yankees are whipped! Fort Sumter is taken! Didn’t I tell you they couldn’t stand up against our fellows? My, but don’t I just wish I had been in Charleston to see the bombardment!” And Andy Arlington rushed into the sitting-room pell-mell, throwing his cap into the air, and giving his sister Grace a hug in his delight. “Fort Sumter taken!” repeated his father. “Is it really true, my son? Then the war has opened at last.” The old Mexican veteran took the newspaper his son had brought in from the post-office. Yes, it was true, as the great black scare lines proved; the fort had been taken, Major Anderson had departed for the North on the _Baltic_, and all of Charleston was mad with joy. “I wonder what Louis will say to that when he reads it,” said Andy, as he turned again to Grace. “I told him right along we’d whip if it came to fighting.” “Well, one battle doesn’t constitute a whole war, Andy,” replied Grace, instinctively standing up for the enemy who was yet her dearest friend. “And Louis knows that as well as we do.” “It’s not such a tremendous victory, either,” observed Mrs. Arlington. “The fort was surrounded by the other forts and floating batteries, and the garrison must have been about starved out, being cut off from shore for three months. I wonder what the North will do next?” “They won’t do much,” said the husband. “I believe the saying is true, they can’t be kicked into a fight. Even at Fort Sumter they stood only on the defensive.”