Noel made no response, and in silence the two young soldiers advanced and in a brief time found themselves in the presence of a score of men. They saw that every one was clad in uniform, but it was impossible at first to determine to which side the men belonged. However, Noel was convinced that the words of Long John had explained who the men were, and in spite of the treachery of the negro he at once decided that he and Dennis must give themselves up. "Who are you, Yanks?" demanded a man, speaking in a voice which the boys recognized as the one by which they had been addressed before. "Step up yere and give an account of yo'selves." Obediently, Noel and Dennis advanced, and even in the dim light they were able to see that the man who addressed them wore the uniform of an officer. "We are two boys who belong to one of the New York regiments." "Glad to see you," said the young officer laughingly. "I wish you were back home where you belong, but as you're down here, I'm glad you met us. We'll see that you go with the rest of the Yanks, and that you don't do any more damage to our country. I'm surprised the Yankee soldiers don't fight better." The tone in which the officer spoke was almost bantering. Noel's anger was aroused, but by an effort he restrained himself and said in a low voice, "You talk very bravely! You'll get over your surprise pretty soon." "It will have to be 'pretty soon,' I reckon," said the officer good-naturedly. "The Yanks have been running so fast and so far that they haven't gotten their breath yet. About all we have to do nowadays is to chase the Yankee soldiers. They didn't make a stand at Manassas either time. They ran from General Lee on the Peninsula, and now, though they have been running after him up here, they will dodge and run in the other direction the minute he turns around." Noel Curtis was unable to reply to the bantering of his captor. It was true that thus far in the struggle the Army of the Potomac had not covered itself with glory. In Tennessee and Kentucky, too, at the time, the Federal forces were meeting with disaster after disaster, and to many of the faint-hearted supporters of the North it seemed almost as if the end had come. "We sure are going to march straight to Philadelphia, and then you won't be able to stop us before we get into New York and Boston. If we ever get inside Boston, we'll show some of those fellows a trick or two that will teach them some things they don't know now. If it hadn't been for that city I don't believe there would have been any war." "You don't?" demanded Noel, and in spite of his predicament, he was interested in what the young officer was saying.