part inactive owing to the vast superiority in force of the enemy's

cavalry; but now that Stuart had come up they felt certain that,

whatever the disparity of numbers, there would soon be some dashing work

to be done.

Except when upon actual duty the strict lines of military discipline

were much relaxed among the cavalry, the troopers being almost all the

sons of farmers and planters and of equal social rank with their

officers, many of whom were their personal friends or relatives. Several

of Vincent's schoolfellows were in the ranks; two or three of them were

fellow officers, and these often gathered together round a camp fire and

chatted over old schooldays and mutual friends.

Many of these had already fallen, for the Virginian regiments of

Stonewall Jackson's brigade had been terribly thinned; but the loss of

so many friends and the knowledge that their own turn might come next

did not suffice to lessen the high spirits of the young fellows. The

hard work, the rough life, the exposure and hardship, had braced and

invigorated them all, and they were attaining a far more vigorous

manhood than they would ever have possessed had they grown up in the

somewhat sluggish and enervating life led by young planters.

Many of these young men had, until the campaign began, never done half

an hour's hard work in their lives. They had been waited upon by slaves,

and their only exercise had been riding. For months now they had almost

lived in the saddle, had slept in the open air, and had thought

themselves lucky if they could obtain a sufficient meal of the roughest

food to satisfy their hunger once a day. In this respect, however, the

cavalry were better off than their comrades of the infantry, for

scouting as they did in small parties over a wide extent of country,

they were sure of a meal and a hearty welcome whenever they could spare

time to stop for half an hour at the house of a farmer.

"It's a glorious life, Wingfield! When we chatted over the future at

school we never dreamed of such a life as this, though some of us did

talk of entering the army; but even then an occasional skirmish with

Indians was the limit of our ideas."

"Yes, it is a glorious life!" Vincent agreed. "I cannot imagine anything

more exciting. Of course, there is the risk of being shot, but somehow

one never seems to think of that. There is always something to do and to

think about; from the time one starts on a scout at daybreak to that

when one lies down at night one's senses are on the stretch. Besides, we

are fighting in defense of our country and not merely as a profession,

though I don't suppose, after all, that makes much difference when one

is once in for it. As far as I have read all soldiers enjoy campaigning,

and it does not seem to make any difference to them who are the foe or

what they are fighting about. But I should like to feel a little more

sure that we shall win in the long run."

There was a chorus of indignant protests against there being any

possible doubts as to the issue.

"Why, we have thrashed them every time we have met them, Wingfield."

"That is all very well," Vincent said. "Here in Virginia we have held

our own, and more than held it. We have beat back Scott and McClellan,

and now we have thrashed Pope; and Stonewall Jackson has won a dozen

battles in Western Virginia. But you must remember that in other parts

they are gradually closing in; all the ports not already taken are

closely blockaded; they are pushing all along the lines of the great

rivers; and worst of all, they can fill up their vacancies with Irishmen

and Germans, and as fast as one army disappears another takes its place.

I believe we shall beat them again and again, and shall prove, as we

have proved before, that one Southerner fighting for home and liberty is

more than a match for two hired Germans or Irishmen, even with a good

large sprinkling of Yankees among them. But in the long run I am not

sure that we shall win, for they can go on putting big armies into the

field, while some day we must get used up.

"Of course it is possible that we may some day capture Washington, and

that the North may get weary of the tremendous drain of money and men

caused by their attempt to conquer us. I hope it may be so, for I should

like to think that we should win in the long run. I never feel any doubt

about our winning a battle when we begin. My only fear is that we may

get used up before the North are tired of it."

"I did not expect to hear you talk so, Wingfield, for you always seem to

be in capital spirits."

"I am in capital spirits," Vincent replied, "and ready to fight again

and again, and always confident we shall lick the Yankees; the fact that

I have a doubt whether in the long run we shall outlast them does not

interfere in the slightest degree with my comfort at present. I am very

sorry though that this fellow Pope is carrying on the war so brutally

instead of in the manner in which General McClellan and the other

commanders have waged it. His proclamation that the army must subsist

upon the country it passes through gives a direct invitation to the

soldiers to pillage, and his order that all farmers who refuse to take

the oath to the Union are to be driven from their homes and sent down

south means ruin to all the peaceful inhabitants, for there is scarcely

a man in this part of Virginia who is not heartily with us."

"I hear," one of the other officers said, "that a prisoner who was

captured this morning says that Pope already sees that he has made a

mistake, and that he yesterday issued a fresh order saying that the

proclamation was not meant to authorize pillage. He finds that the

inhabitants who before, whatever their private sentiments were,

maintained a sort of neutrality, are now hostile, that they drive off

their cattle into the woods, and even set fire to their stacks, to

prevent anything from being carried off by the Yanks; and his troops

find the roads broken up and bridges destroyed and all sorts of

difficulties thrown in their way."

"It does not always pay--even in war--to be brutal. I am glad to see he

has found out his mistake so soon," another officer said. "McClellan

waged war like a gentleman; and if blackguards are to be allowed to

carry fire and sword through the land they will soon find it is a game

that two can play at, and matters will become horribly embittered."

"We shall never do that," Vincent said. "Our generals are all gentlemen,

and Lee and Jackson and many others are true Christians as well as true

soldiers, and I am sure they will never countenance that on our side

whatever the Northerners may do. We are ready to fight the hordes of

Yankees and Germans and Irishmen as often as they advance against us,

but I am sure that none of us would fire a homestead or ill-treat

defenseless men and women. It is a scandal that such brutalities are

committed by the ruffians who call themselves Southerners. The

guerrillas in Missouri and Tennessee are equally bad whether on our side

or the other, and if I were the president I would send down a couple of

regiments, and hunt down the fellows who bring dishonor on our cause. If

the South cannot free herself without the aid of ruffians of this kind

she had better lay down her arms at once."

"Bravo, Wingfield! spoken like a knight of chivalry!" one of the others

laughed. "But many of these bands have done good nevertheless. They have

kept the enemy busy there, and occupied the attention of a very large

force who might otherwise have been in the woods yonder with Pope. I

agree with you, it would be better if the whole thing were fought out

with large armies, but there is a good deal to be said for these bands

you are so severe upon. They are composed of men who have been made

desperate by seeing their farms harried and their buildings burned by

the enemy. They have been denounced as traitors by their neighbors on

the other side, and if they retaliate I don't know that they are to be

altogether blamed. I know that if my place at home were burned down and

my people insulted and ill-treated I should be inclined to set off to

avenge it."

"So would I," Vincent agreed, "but it should be upon those who did the

wrong, not upon innocent people."

"That is all very well, but if the other side destroy your people's

farms, it is only by showing them that two can play at the game that you

can make them observe the laws of war. I grant it would be very much

better that no such thing should take place; but if the Northerners

begin this sort of work they may be sure that there will be retaliation.

Anyhow, I am glad that I am an officer in the 7th Virginians and not a

guerrilla leader in Missouri. Well, all this talking is dry work. Has no

one got a full canteen?"

"I have," Vincent said. "Dan managed to buy a gallon of rum at a

farmhouse yesterday. I think the farmer was afraid that the enemy might

be paying him a visit before many days, and thought it best to get rid

of his spirits. Anyhow, Dan got the keg at ordinary city prices, as well

as that couple of fine turkeys he is just bringing along for our supper.

So you had better each get your ration of bread and fall to."

There was a cheer as Dan placed the turkeys down in the center of the

group, and soon the whole party, using their bread as plates, fell to

upon them, and afterward joined in many a merry song, while Dan handed

round the jar of spirits.