Then a day or two of waiting, and watching, and of confused but terrible fighting ensued.  The forests were again set on fire by the bursting shells and they were not able to rescue many of the wounded from the flames.  Vast clouds again floated over the whole region, drawing a veil of dusk between the soldiers and the sun.  But neither army was willing to attack the other in full force.

Grant commanding all the armies of the East was moving meanwhile.  A powerful cavalry division, he heard, had got behind Beauregard, who was to protect Richmond, and was tearing up an important railway line used by the Confederacy.  The daring Sheridan with another great division of cavalry had gone around Lee’s left and was wrecking another railway, and with it the rations and medical supplies so necessary to the Confederates.  Grant, recognizing his antagonist’s skill and courage and knowing that to succeed he must destroy the main Southern army, resolved to attack again with his whole force.

The day had been comparatively quiet and the Army of Northern Virginia had devoted nearly the whole time to fortifying with earthworks and breastworks of logs.  The young aides, as they rode on their missions, could easily see the Northern lines through their glasses.  Harry’s heart sank as he observed their extent.  The Southern army was sadly reduced in numbers, and Grant could get reinforcement continually.

But such is the saving grace of human nature that even in these moments of suspense, with one terrible battle just over and another about to begin, soldiers of the Blue and Gray would speak to one another in friendly fashion in the bushes or across the Po.  It was on the banks of this narrow river that Harry at last saw Shepard once more.  He happened to be on foot that time, the slope being too densely wooded for his horse, and Shepard hailed him from the other side.

“Good day, Mr. Kenton.  Don’t fire!  I want to talk,” he said, holding up both hands as a sign of peace.

“A curious place for talking,” Harry could not keep from saying.

“So it is, but we’re not observed here.  It was almost inevitable while the armies remained face to face that we should meet in time.  I want to tell you that I’ve met your cousin, Richard Mason, here, and his commanding officer, Colonel Winchester.  Oh, I know much more about you and your relationships than you think.”

“How is Dick?”

“He has not been hurt, nor has Colonel Winchester.  Mr. Mason has received a letter from his home and your home in Pendleton in Kentucky.  The outlaws to the eastward are troublesome, but the town is occupied by an efficient Union garrison and is in no danger.  His mother and all of his and your old friends, who did not go to the war, are in good health.  He thought that in my various capacities as ranger, scout and spy I might meet you, and he asked me, if it so happened, to tell these things to you.”