“Lieutenant Mason, sir?” he said.

“I’m glad it’s you, Mr. Shepard,” said Dick.  “I think that in this wood we’ll need the hundred eyes that once belonged to Argus, but which he has passed on to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Shepard.

But the man at whom he looked most was the sergeant, and the sergeant looked most at him.  One was a sergeant and the other was a spy, but each recognized in the other a king among men.  Eyes swept over powerful chests and shoulders and open, bold countenances, and signified approval.  They had met before, but they were more than well met here in the loneliness and the dark, amid dangers, where skill and courage, and not rank, counted.  Then they nodded without speaking, as an Indian chief would to an Indian chief, his equal.

“You were coming to meet us, Mr. Shepard?” said Dick.

“I expected to find you on this path.”

“And you have something to tell?”

“A small Confederate force is in the mountains, awaiting Colonel Hertford.  It is inferior to his in numbers, but it knows the country thoroughly and has the sympathy of all the inhabitants, who bring to it news of everything.”

“Do you know these Confederate troops?”

“Yes, sir.  Their corps is a regiment called in General Lee’s army the
Invincibles, but it includes two other skeleton regiments.  Colonel
Talbot who leads the Invincibles is the commander of them all.  He has,
I should say, slightly less than a thousand men.”

“You know a good deal about this regiment called the Invincibles, do you not, Mr. Shepard?”

“I do, sir.  Its colonel, Talbot, and its lieutenant-colonel, St. Hilaire, are as brave men as any that ever lived, and the regiment has an extraordinary reputation in the Southern army for courage.  Two of General Lee’s young staff officers are also with them now.”

“Who are they?”

“Lieutenant Harry Kenton and Lieutenant George Dalton.”

Dick with his troop rode at once to Colonel Hertford and reported.

Colonel Hertford listened and then glanced at Dick.

“Kenton is your cousin, I believe,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” replied Dick.  “He has been in the East all the time.  Once in the second Manassas campaign we came face to face and fired at each other, although we did not know who was who then.”

“And now here you are in opposing forces again.  With the war converging as it is, it was more than likely that you should confront each other once more.”

“But I don’t expect to be shooting at Harry, and I don’t think he’ll be shooting at me.”

“Will you ride into the woods again on the right, Mr. Shepard?” said Colonel Hertford.  “Perhaps you may get another view of this Confederate force.  Dick, you go with him.  Warner, you and Pennington come with me.”