"Well, my man's beauty's spiled forever," said Shorty. "The light flared up on his face and I let him have it there." "But Linden saw another light. When beat the drums at dead of night, Commanding fires of death to hight The darkness of her scenery," recited Monty Scruggs. "Gracious, I'm hit!" "Where?" asked Si, running up to him. "Through my leg," answered Monty. "Kin you walk?" "I guess so." "Well, make your way back to the cars and git in and lay down." "Not much," answered Monty determinedly. "It don't hurt much, and I'm going to stay and see this thing out. I can tie it up with my handkerchief." "Scatter again, boys," Si warned several, who had rushed up; "don't make too big a mark for the fellers on the other side. Go back and 'tend to your bizniss. I'll help him tie up his wound. I'm afeared, though, that some o' the boys are runnin' out o' catridges, they have bin shootin' so rapidly. I want a couple o' you to run back to the cars and git another box." "Let me and Sandy go," pleaded little Pete Skidmore. "The big boys went before." "All right; skip out. Break the lid o' the box off before you take it out o' the car. We haven't anything here to do it with. Leave your guns here." "No, we'll take 'em along," pleaded Pete, with a boyish love for his rifle. "We mightn't be able to find 'em agin." The firing from the opposite bank became fitful, died down, and then ceased altogether. Then a couple of shots rang out from far in the rear in the direction of the train. This seemed to rouse the rebels to another volley, and then all became quiet. The shots in the rear disturbed Si, who started back to see what they meant, but met Pete Skidmore and Sandy Baker coming panting up, carrying a box of cartridges between them. "We got back as quick as we could," Pete explained as he got his breath. "Just as we was coming to the train we see a rebel who was carrying a fat-pine torch, and making for the train to set it on fire. We shot him. Was that all right?" "Perfectly," said Si. "Was there any more with him?" "No. We looked around for others, but couldn't find none. That's what kept up so long." "The Johnnies have given it up and gone," said Shorty, coming up. "I went over to a place where I could see 'em skippin' out by the light o' the burnin' o' the other bridge. We might as well put out guards here and go into camp till mornin'." "All right," assented Si. "We've saved the train and bridge, and that's all we kin do." CHAPTER XX. AFTER THE SKIRMISH WILD SHOOTING WAS ALL THAT SAVED A SURPRISED COLORED MAN. THOUGH Si and Shorty were certain that the trouble was over and the rebels all gone, it was impossible to convince the boys of this. The sudden appearance of the guerrillas had been so mysterious that they could not rid themselves of the idea that the dark depths beyond the creek were yet filled with vicious foemen animated by dire intents.