A man rode forward from the ranks, saluted and asked leave to speak.  He was a native of the next county and knew that region well.  Two miles east of them and running parallel with the road over which they had come was another and much wider road, the one that they called the big road.

“Which means, I suppose, that it contains more mud than this one,” said Captain Markham.

“True, sir,” replied the man, “but if the rebel army is advancing it is likely to be on that road.”

“That is certainly sound logic.  At least we’ll go there and see.  Can you lead us through these woods to it?”

“I can take you straight across,” replied the man whose name was Carpenter.  “But on the way we’ll have to ford a creek which is likely to be pretty deep at this time of the year.”

“Show the way,” said Captain Markham briskly.

They plunged into the deep woods, and Carpenter guided them well.  The creek, of which he had told, was running bankful of icy water, but their horses swam it and they kept straight ahead until Carpenter, who was a little in advance, held up a warning hand.

Captain Markham ordered his whole troop to stop and keep as quiet as possible.  Then he, Dick, Warner, Sergeant Whitley and Carpenter rode slowly forward.  Before they had gone many yards Dick heard the heavy clank of metal, the cracking of whips, the swearing of men, and the sound of horses’ feet splashing in the mud.  He knew by the amount and variety of the noises that a great force was passing.

They advanced a little further and reined into a clump of bushes which despite their lack of leaves were dense enough to shelter them from observation.  As the bushes grew on a hillock they had a downward and good look into the road, which was fairly packed with men in the gray of the Confederate army, some on horseback, but mostly afoot, their cannon, ammunition and supply wagons sinking almost to the hub in the mud.  As far as Dick could see the gray columns extended.

“There must be six or seven thousand men here,” he said to Captain Markham.

“Undoubtedly,” replied Markham, “this is the main Confederate army advancing to attack ours, but the badness of the roads operates against the offense.  We shall reach General Thomas with the word that they are coming long before they are there.”

They watched the marching army for a half hour longer in order to be sure of everything, and then turning they rode as fast as they could toward Thomas, elated at their success.  They swam the creek again, but at another point.  Carpenter told them that the Southern army would cross it on a bridge, and Markham lamented that he could not turn and destroy this bridge, but such an attempt would have been folly.

They finally turned into the main road along which the Southern army was coming, although they were now miles ahead of it, and, covered from head to foot with the red mud of the hills, they urged on their worn horses toward the camp of Thomas.