The daring expedition of which the British general wrote was led by Tom Deering. For a long time he had been brooding upon the words of Mark Harwood spoken that day at the Foster mansion. Laura was to be forced by Jarvis Harwood to marry Lieutenant Cheyne at Christmas. This, together with his inability to do anything for his imprisoned father weighed heavily upon him; he could not sleep at night, and during the day his helplessness to carry relief to those he cared most for in the world preyed constantly upon him, allowing him no rest. Oh, if he could only strike a blow for them; if he could only liberate his father from the hulks in Charleston harbor--for he felt almost sure, by this, that it was there he would find him--and save Laura from Jasper Harwood, he would be happy and content. He sat one night upon a cottonwood stump at the camp-fire brooding over these things, with Cole stretched full length beside him, when Marion, who was going the rounds of the camp, stopped to look at him. “There is something,” said the commander, seating himself beside him on the stump, “that has been upon your mind for some weeks past. What is it?” It was not often that Colonel Marion invited a confidence; he was as kind and gentle a man as could be, but, as a rule, he treated his men not too familiarly. So, his question proved his interest to Tom at once. The lad told him of Laura, and of what was to happen at Christmas. Marion listened and his dark, deep-set eyes kindled. “The villains,” said he, warmly. “They would make this poor girl the wife of a man whom she does not care for, in order to create an influence that will enable them to possess themselves of your father’s property.” He paused for a moment, then turned suddenly upon his young scout. “If I had not the cares and responsibilities of this command resting upon me,” said he, “I would ask nothing better than to beard them under their own guns and take this poor child from them.” “Oh, if I could only make the attempt!” cried Tom. “I could learn something of my father, too, perhaps. If I only had the force, I would dare it.” “Would any of your friends in the brigade volunteer for the adventure, do you think?” “A score of them!” exclaimed the youth. “You have my permission to take them out on the enterprise,” said Marion, kindly. “It will not only be doing the young lady a service if you succeed, but will demonstrate to the enemy that we can penetrate even into his most powerful towns.”