“Well, sir, Sergeant Wiley and about thirty of the men surprised a sutler’s wagon that was a straggling behind its train, and captured it, with three prisoners and a quantity of stores. All the men but the pickets had double rations. The major wouldn’t give them double because he wanted them to be very sharp to-night; but to-morrow they are to have double grog as well as double rations.” “Yes—I heard about that. Anything else?” “Well, sir, Captain Miller has gone out with his company to waylay a train of army wagons as our scouts report to be crossing the valley, on their way to W.; but he is not expected back to-night.” “I am sorry to hear that. I think it was a bad move. The valley is all up, bristling with Yankee rifles. A little devil of a spy got into the camp of the Free Sword, and afterwards ran away and betrayed his retreat to the Yankees. He had to evacuate his camp in great haste.” “What a blasted bit of bad luck!” exclaimed the ferryman. “Yes; and that is not all. Goldsborough—well, he’s not the first great soldier that ever lost the world for a woman—Goldsborough, instigated by the demon, made a dash across the river below the Point of Rocks and surprised a picnic party for no other purpose than to carry off a certain girl.” “What a blamed fool—begging your pardon, Captain!” “Yes, he was all that. And, the result of all this is that there are no less than three companies of cavalry out in search of us in different directions. The chances are that Miller will meet with some of them.” As Captain Bannister spoke the boat grated upon the sands of the shore, and the party prepared to land. The captain walked his horse out first, and was followed by the others of the party in the same manner. Leaving the ferryman to go back after the remainder of the band, Captain Bannister led his party by a steep, narrow and winding path up the mountain side, passing many picket guards, by whom they were challenged, and to whom he gave the countersign. As they reached the summit, the moon, large, round, and red as a ball of fire, was rising behind a dark, green cedar wood in the valley before them. “There are the head quarters of Major Monck,” said the captain to his prisoner, pointing down into the thickly wooded valley. He then led the way down this side of the mountain by a path as steep, narrow and winding as that by which they had ascended on the other side, and they met as many pickets as before. Arrived at the foot of the precipice, the captain led the way into the cedar thicket, “where path there was none;” but by some occult method of his own, or some signs unintelligible to the uninitiated, he took his party on until they came to a low worm-fence surrounding a clearing in the very centre of the woods. At regular intervals of space sentinels marched to and fro before this fence. One of them challenged Captain Bannister, who gave the countersign, and immediately passed with his party through the gate.