[Illustration: Down came Ephraim’s rifle to the charge again. PAGE 153. ] THE BLUE BALLOON A TALE OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY BY REGINALD HORSLEY AUTHOR OF ‘THE YELLOW GOD;’ ETC. WITH SIX ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. S. STACEY NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 31 WEST-TWENTY-THIRD STREET 1896 [Illustration: CONTENTS.] CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. OLD GRIZZLY 7 II. STONEWALL JACKSON’S WAY 19 III. THE BALLOON GOES UP 32 IV. THE BALLOON COMES DOWN 49 V. A FIRE-EATING COLONEL 64 VI. A FREE BREAKFAST 74 VII. NO. XX. COMPANY D OF THE ‘TRAILING TERRORS’ 93 VIII. A PAIR OF RELUCTANT RECRUITS 118 IX. HOW GENERAL SHIELDS SENT A DESPATCH TO GENERAL FRÉMONT 131 X. HOW THAT DESPATCH WAS INTERCEPTED 148 XI. LUCIUS BRINGS THE BOAT ASHORE 158 XII. A DUEL IN THE DARK 175 XIII. HOW THE DESPATCH WAS BROUGHT TO STONEWALL JACKSON 199 XIV. GRIZZLY IN THE TOILS 223 XV. ANY PORT IN A STORM 239 XVI. OLD GRIZZLY’S SACRIFICE 257 XVII. WHAT CAME OF IT ALL 277 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Down came Ephraim’s rifle to the charge again _Frontispiece_ ‘Hyar I am,’ said Ephraim 13 Ephraim, his feet twined among the cordage, slowly mounted towards the network 61 ‘Upon my word, you are a nice young man,’ said the general 111 A candle was burning on a table by the window 211 ‘Fire, boys! Fire!’ 275 [Illustration] THE BLUE BALLOON. CHAPTER I. OLD GRIZZLY.