"I will be careful. But this is private property, and you and Marion are ladies, and our enemy must remember this," responded Jack, and ran off to don his uniform and his sword. Inside of half an hour the members of Jack's company began to appear, until there were nineteen boys assembled. Each had his gun or his pistol fully loaded, and the appearance made by the lads, when drawn up in a line, was quite an imposing one. "Ise got a pistol," said Old Ben, showing a long, old-fashioned "hoss" pistol on the sly. "If anybody tries to shoot Massah Jack, he will heah from dis darky, suah." "Thank you, Ben," answered our hero. "You always were true to me. If ever I grow up to be a man and get rich, I shan't forget you," and this made Old Ben grin from ear to ear. Presently there was a clatter on the road beyond the plantation, and a Confederate battery, drawn by horses covered with foam, swept past. "The Yanks are coming!" was the cry. "Get indoors and hide your jewelry and silverware!" "They are coming!" muttered our hero. He called the boys together. "Home Guard, attention!" he cried out. "Line up here. Carry arms! Boys, are you willing to stand by me and help me to keep my mother's house from being ransacked?" "Yes! yes!" was the ready reply. "Hurrah for Captain Jack!" put in several of the more enthusiastic ones. "Thank you, boys. We won't fight unless we have to. But if it comes to that, let everybody give a good account of himself." "We will! We will!" Soon another battery swept by the house, the horses almost ready to drop from exhaustion. Marion saw this and whispered to her mother. "Let me do it, mother," she pleaded. "If you so much wish it," answered Mrs. Ruthven. With all speed the girl ran to the barn and brought out her own horse, a beautiful black, and ran him to the road. "Take my horse and hitch him to yonder cannon!" she cried. "He is fresh--he will help you save the piece!" "Good fer you, young lady!" shouted one of the cannoneers. "We've got friends yet, it seems!" The horse was taken, and the cannon moved on at a swifter pace than ever. "That was grand of you, Marion!" cried Jack. He knew just how much she thought of the steed she had sacrificed, her pet saddle horse. And now came several of the hospital corps, carrying the wounded on stretchers, and also several ambulances. In the meantime the shooting came closer and closer, and several shells sped over the plantation, to burst with a crash in the woods beyond. "The battle is at hand! God defend us!" murmured Mrs. Ruthven. Several Confederates with stretchers were crossing the lawn. On the stretchers lay three soldiers, all badly wounded. "We can't carry them any further, madam," said one of the party. "Will you be kind enough to take them in?" "Yes, yes!" cried Mrs. Ruthven. "Bring them in at once. We will do our best for them!" And she summoned the servants to prepare cots on the lower floor, since it would have been awkward to take the wounded upstairs.