The big fires had been lighted again, the cove furnishing wood enough for many days, and within its limited area they brought back glow and cheeriness.  Dick went outside and found all the men in high spirits.  They expected to be held there until a thaw came, but there would be no difficulty, except to obtain forage for the horses, which they must dig from under the snow, or which some of the surest footed mountaineers must bring over the ridge.  He heard that Colonel Winchester was already making arrangements with Reed, and he was too light-hearted to bother himself any more about it.

Warner and Pennington saluted him with bows as a coming captain, and declared that he looked extremely interesting with a white bandage around his head.

“It’s merely to prevent bleeding,” said Dick.  “The bullet didn’t really hurt me, and it won’t leave a scar under the hair.”

“Then since you’re not even an invalid,” said Pennington, “come on and take your bath.  The boys have broken the ice for a long distance on the creek and all of us early risers have gone there for a plunge, and a short swim.  It’ll do you a world of good, Dick, but don’t stay in too long.”

“Not over a half hour,” said Warner.

“O, a quarter of an hour will be long enough,” said Pennington, “but I’d advise you to rub yourself down thoroughly, Dick.”

“I’ll do just as you did,” laughed Dick.

“And what’s that?”

“I’ll go to the edge of the creek, look at it, and shiver when I see how cold its waters are.  Then I’ll kneel down on the bank, bathe my face, and come away.”

“You’ve estimated him correctly, Dick,” said Warner, “but you don’t have to shiver as much as Frank did.”

The cold bath, although it was confined to the face only, made his blood leap and sparkle.  He was not a coming captain but a boy again, and he began to think about pleasant ways of passing the time while the ice held them.  After his breakfast he joined Colonel Winchester, who debated the question further with a group of officers.  But there was only one conclusion to which they could come, and that had presented itself already to Dick’s mind, namely, to wait as patiently as they could for a thaw, while Shepard, the sergeant and two or three others made their way on foot into the Shenandoah valley to inform Sheridan of what had transpired.

The messengers departed as soon as the conference closed, and the little army was left to pass the time as it chose in the cove.  But time did not weigh heavily upon the young troops.  As it grew colder and colder they added to the walls and roofs of their improvised shelters.  There was scarcely a man among them who had not been bred to the ax, and the forest in the valley rang continually with their skillful strokes.  Then the logs were notched and in a day or two rude but real cabins were raised, in which they slept, dry and warm.