“Yes,” they all said, and began again, with less discord but not keeping very good time.

Harold and his party were in the fort, a huge heap of balls beside them.

“Now man your guns, my lads, and be ready to give a vigorous repulse to the approaching foe,” he said.

Chester had drawn up his men in line of battle.  Max was among them.

“Wait!” he cried, “I’m going into the fort.”

“What! going to desert in the face of the enemy?” queried Chester.

“Yes; I can’t fight against that flag,” pointing to it with uplifted hand.  “Fire on the stars and stripes? Never!  ’The flag of our Union forever!’”

“Oh is that all?  Well, we’re not going to fight against it, my boy; it’s ours, and we’re going to take it from them and carry it in triumph at the head of our column.”

“No, sir; its ours,” retorted Harold, “and we stand ready to defend it to the last gasp.  Come on; take it if you can!  We dare you to do it?”

“Up then and at ’em, boys!” shouted Chester.  “Go double quick and charge right over the breast works!”

The command was instantly obeyed, the works were vigorously assaulted, and as vigorously defended, snowballs flying thick and fast in both directions.

Max leaped over the breast works and seized the flag.  Harold tore it from his hands, threw him over into the snow on the outside, and replanted the flag on the top of the breast work.

Max picked himself up, ran round to the other side of the fort, and finding Harold and the other large boys among the defenders, each engaged in a hand to hand scuffle with a besieger, so that only little Walter was left to oppose him, again leaped over the barrier, seized the flag, leaped back and sped away toward the house waving it in triumph and shouting, “Hurrah! victory is ours!”

“Not so fast young man!” shouted back Herbert, bounding over the breast works and giving chase, all the rest following, some to aid him in recovering the lost standard, the others to help Max to keep out of his reach.

Herbert was agile and fleet of foot, but so was Max.  Back and forth, up and down he ran, now dodging his pursuers behind trees and shrubs, now taking a flying leap over some low obstacle, and speeding on, waving the flag above his head and shouting back derisively at those who were trying to catch him.

It was a long and exciting race, but at last he was caught; Herbert overtook him, seized him with one hand, the flag with the other.

Max wrenched himself free, but Herbert’s superior strength compelled him to yield the flag after a desperate struggle to retain his hold upon it.

Then with a wild hue and cry Chester’s party chased Herbert till after doubling and turning several times, he at length regained the fort and restored the flag to its place.

The next instant Harold and the rest of his command regained and reoccupied the fort, the attacking party following close at their heels, and the battle with the snowballs recommenced with redoubled fury.