‘He was a tall, loosely made young man, sallow complexioned, and with a quantity of black, curling hair upon his cheeks and chin,’ answered Hopkins feebly, utterly taken aback by this new view of the situation. General Shields started as if he had been stung. ‘By George!’ he said under his breath. ‘If I don’t believe that was the identical fellow I spoke with this morning, and who told me that rigmarole about the balloon. Perhaps I have been too hard upon Spriggs. I have been, if my suspicions are correct. And if so, this is a dangerous fellow. We must lay him by the heels without delay.—Corporal!’ ‘Sir,’ said the corporal again. But once more the general’s order was stayed upon his lips, for at that moment a solitary rifle-shot rang out, far down the river. It was that caused by the accidental discharge of Ephraim’s gun. ‘There he is! there he is!’ began Hopkins excitedly; but the general silenced him with a wave of his hand. ‘We have no proof of that, Captain Hopkins,’ he said coldly. ‘I do not suppose that if your friend wishes to escape, he is likely to go gunning on the Shenandoah. However, we will take measures to ascertain.—Corporal!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the corporal once more, and this time he received his order. ‘Send five of your men up the river to thoroughly search the bank. Take the other five with you down the river in the direction of that shot. Lose no time, and leave no stone unturned to secure the man whom Captain Hopkins has just described. You noted the description?’ ‘Yes, general.’ ‘Very good. Be off, then. Remember the fellow is—or was—in Federal uniform.—Now, Captain Hopkins, attend to me, if you please. You will return to camp at once, give Major Wheeler my compliments, and repeat your description of this man. Then add that it is my order that he at once send out search parties in all directions, up the river, down the river, and in and about the woods, with instructions to bring before the provost-marshal every stray Federal soldier they can pick up. We shall recover a lot of stragglers that way, even if we do not get our man. And—er—one thing more,’ as Hopkins moved away. ‘When you have executed this order, you will’—— ‘Yes, general?’ said Hopkins, quailing under the former’s withering look. ‘Report yourself to your colonel as under arrest, sir,’ snapped the general, and turned upon his heel. Left alone, General Shields made a careful survey of the river and the bank in his immediate vicinity, but finding nothing for his pains, returned without further delay to the camp, where he at once gave orders that the pickets should be doubled along the line next the enemy, and also, as might have been expected, changed the countersign for the night. The moment Lucius took the water, it became plain to him that he had entered upon no light undertaking, and looking round, he informed the Grizzly of this.