“No it’s not!  You open that last stall door at once!”

The farmer made a wry face, and threw back the door with a slam.  Harry still covering the man with the pistol that couldn’t go off, saw a splendid bay horse about four years old.

“Holding out on me, were you?” he said.  “Did you think a Confederate officer could be fooled in that manner?”

“I reckon I oughtn’t to have thought so.  I’ve always heard that the rebels had mighty good eyes for Yankee horseflesh.”

“I’ll let that pass, because maybe it’s true.  Now, saddle and bridle him quicker than ever before in your life.”

The farmer did so, and Harry took care to see that the girth was secure.

“At how much did you value this horse?” he asked.

“I did put him down at two hundred dollars, but I reckon he’s worth nothin’ to me now.”

“Here’s your money.  When General Lee goes through the enemy’s country he pays for what he takes.”

He thrust a roll of good United States bills into the astonished man’s hand, and sprang upon the horse.  Then he turned from the stable and rode swiftly up the road, but not so swiftly that he did not hear a bullet singing past his ears.  A backward glance showed him an elderly farmer in his night clothes standing on his porch and reloading his rifle.

“Well, I can’t blame you, I suppose,” said Harry.  “You can guess pretty well what I am, and it’s your business to stop me.”

But he rode fast enough to be far beyond the range of a second bullet, and maintained a good pace for a long time, through hilly and wooded country.  His uniform dried upon him, and his hardy form felt no ill result from the struggle in the river.  The horse was strong and spirited, and Harry knew that he could carry him without weariness to Lee.  He looked upon his mission as already accomplished, but his ambition to reach the commander-in-chief first was yet strong.

He rode throughout the rest of the night and dawn and the pangs of hunger came together.  But he decided that he would not turn from his path to seek food.  He would go on straight for Lee and let hunger have its way.  He had a splendid horse under him and he was faring quite as well as he had a right to expect.  He thought of Shepard, and felt pity for him.  The man had only striven to do his duty, and while he had used force he had been very courteous and polite about it.  Harry was bound to acknowledge that his had been a very chivalrous enemy and only his superiority in swimming had enabled him to win over Shepard.  He was glad that he had saved him and had left him on the bank, so to speak, to dry.

Then Shepard faded away with the mists and vapors that were retreating before a brilliant dawn.  The country was high, rolling, and the foliage, although much browned by the July sun, which was unusually hot that year, was still dense.  Most of the hills were heavy with forest, but all the valleys between were fertile and well cultivated.  With the dew of the morning fresh upon it the whole region was refreshing and soothing to the eye with a look of peace, where in reality there was no peace.  Many thin columns of smoke lying blue against the silver sky told where farmhouses stood, and hunger suddenly seized upon Harry again.