General Shields scribbled a few lines in his pocket-book and tore out the leaf: ‘Colonel Spriggs, if you come up with the two men who escaped from the balloon this morning,’ he read out to his officers, ‘you will detain them as prisoners and bring them before me, without taking further action.’ ‘I’ll send that on to him in the first instance,’ he said, signing the paper.—‘Orderly!’ But there was no answer. Cox had, for the time being, disappeared. ‘Confound the fellow!’ said the general. ‘What does he mean by going out of call?—No matter,’ he continued to Ephraim, ‘you can take the note yourself. Your regiment—what is left of it—is a couple of miles in rear of Lewiston. It will not be in action to-day.—Well, why don’t you go?’ as Ephraim took the note, but made no effort to depart. ‘Ef ye please, ginrul,’ replied the Grizzly with his most sheepish air, ‘I’d be obleeged tew ye, if ye’d let me take the ham. I guess you won’t want it now, and I left it up thar.’ He pointed to the roof. General Shields burst out laughing. ‘Well, you are a “Terror,” indeed,’ he said. ‘Take your ham, by all means. I don’t want it, as you say.’ Ephraim instantly swung himself up on the rafter, and while making a great clattering among the planks, as though looking for his ham, contrived to whisper: ‘Lie low, Luce. I’ll come back fer ye, wanst they go away. We’re close ter our own lines.’ Then he dropped down again, and with his precious burden hugged close to his breast, saluted awkwardly and turned to the door. ‘Stay!’ cried the general. ‘Before you go, perhaps you can give me your version of yesterday’s skirmish, in which the “Trailing Terrors” were so knocked about.’ ‘Waal, I didn’t see much of it,’ drawled Ephraim with perfect truth. ‘Ye onderstand’—— What he would have said was interrupted by a loud clatter of hoofs outside. A horse was pulled up short, and a courier, hot and perspiring, rushed into the hut. ‘General!’ he panted. ‘The advance has begun. The cavalry are forward, as well as the two batteries. The cavalry have reached the fords without serious opposition.’ ‘Orderly!’ shouted General Shields, scribbling again in his pocket-book. ‘Sir,’ answered Cox, stepping inside. ‘Send that note to General Tyler.—My horse outside?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Good! Come, gentlemen. If all goes well, we shall sup with Frémont to-night. If not, we have a strong position at Lewiston, and there we will await the attack which is sure to be made to-morrow, if we fail in our plans to-day. Come!’ Without another word to or thought of Ephraim, he dashed out of the hut. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER VIII. A PAIR OF RELUCTANT RECRUITS.