Lee handed him a cup of coffee with his own hand, and Harry, thanking him, withdrew to the outer fringe of the little group, where he took his breakfast, amazed to find how hungry he was, although he had not thought of food before.  Then without a word, as he saw that the generals were engrossed in a conference, he withdrew.

“You’ll find Lieutenant Dalton of the staff in the covered wagon over there,” said the orderly who had taken his horse.  “The general sent him to it more’n two hours ago.”

“Then I’ll be inside it in less than two minutes,” said Harry.

But with rest in sight he collapsed suddenly.  His head fell forward of its own weight.  His feet became lead.  Everything swam before his eyes.  He felt that he must sleep or die.  But he managed to drag himself to the wagon and climbed inside.  Dalton lay in the center of it so sound asleep that he was like one dead.  Harry rolled him to one side, making room for himself, and lay down beside him.  Then his eyes closed, and he, too, slept so soundly that he also looked like one dead.

He was awakened by Dalton pulling at him.  The young Virginian was sitting up and looking at Harry with curiosity.  He clapped his hands when the Kentuckian opened his eyes.

“Now I know that you’re not dead,” he said.  “When I woke up and found you lying beside me I thought they had just put your body in here for safekeeping.  As that’s not the case, kindly explain to me and at once what you’re doing in my wagon.”

“I’m waking up just at present, but for an hour or two before that I was sleeping.”

“Hour or two?  Hour or two?  Hear him!  An orderly who I know is no liar told me that you got in here just after dawn.  Now kindly lift that canvasflap, look out and tell me what you see.”

Harry did as he was told, and was amazed.  The same rolling landscape still met his eyes, and the sun was just about as high in the sky as it was when he had climbed into the wagon.  But it was in the west now instead of the east.

“See and know, young man!” said Dalton, paternally.  “The entire day has elapsed and here you have lain in ignorant slumber, careless of everything, reckless of what might happen to the army.  For twelve hours General Lee has been without your advice, and how, lacking it, he has got this far, Heaven alone knows.”

“It seems that he’s pulled through, and, since I’m now awake, you can hurry to him and tell him I’m ready to furnish the right plans to stop the forthcoming Yankee invasion.”

“They’ll keep another day, but we’ve certainly had a good sleep, Harry.”

“Yes, a provision or ammunition wagon isn’t a bad place for a wornout soldier.  I remember I slept in another such as this in the Valley of Virginia, when we were with Jackson.”

He stopped suddenly and choked.  He could not mention the name of Jackson, until long afterward, without something rising in his throat.