The boys pushed on as fast as they could, but it was not possible to make so good time with so many horses to lead as though they had been unencumbered. But they had a good start at any rate, and besides, they had brought away the horses of their would-be captors, and thus diminished the chances of pursuit.

“Those fellows from the woods have n't any horses to follow us with, that's certain,” said Harry; “but there's no telling how many our late host may have in his barn, or close by in the brush.”

“That's so,” answered Jack; “but I don't believe he has many. There was only one in the barn when we put up our horses, and we've got him along with us. But quite likely he has some out in the brush, and they may scare up two or three saddles and come after us. What shall we do if they turn up?”

“Let their horses go, and cut for Forsyth as fast as we can,” said Harry; “that's the only thing I can suggest, or at any rate the safest thing. They 'll stop to get their horses, and we 'll easily outrun them.”

Jack agreed to the suggestion, and it was resolved to put it into practice in case of necessity. As time went on it was evident that Mr. Jones did n't have any extra horses handy, as there were no indications of pursuit, and as daylight approached the boys began to feel safe. Every hour brought them nearer the camp of the army, and they knew that once within the lines they could tell their story in perfect security.

Suddenly they heard the sound of horses' feet behind them, and as they looked back they saw three or four men riding rapidly in their direction. The glance showed that the men were in the costume of the country, and quite likely they were the pursuers whom the boys dreaded.

“We're in for it now,” exclaimed Harry. “Let go your horses and I 'll let go mine.”

“Not much,” answered Jack; “just look ahead.”

Harry looked and saw approaching from the other direction a squad of ten or twelve cavalry in the Union blue.

Harry wanted to shout, “Hurrah!” but just then he was too much occupied to do it. He took in the situation in an instant; they were about equally distant from their pursuers and the cavalry, and the advantage in their favor was that they could get to the shelter of their friends before they could possibly be overtaken by the bushwhackers. The latter also saw the predicament they were in and immediately checked their speed. The sergeant of the cavalry saw that there was something wrong, and he and his men came forward at a gallop.

“Go for those fellows and I 'll explain afterwards,” said Harry, as the sergeant drew rein near him. The sergeant recognized the youths and did not wait for further words. Away went the cavalry in chase, and in a little while returned with two captured horses and one man, the rest having got away.

The cavalry squad accompanied the boys to the picket line, which was only half a mile further along the road. The picket-guard was just then being relieved, and the prisoner was turned over to it and sent to camp along with the captured horses. The squad then proceeded on the foraging expedition for which it had started when it so opportunely met our young friends and saved them from trouble. The boys went triumphantly to General Vandever with their prizes, and told the story of their adventure to a group of interested listeners. They were the heroes of the day, and received a liberal amount of praise for the shrewd manner in which they not only got out of their predicament, but turned it to their advantage. Of course they carefully concealed the part which the girl played in warning them, but pretended that they overheard the conversation between Mr. Jones and his wife after they had retired and were supposed to be in bed.

The prisoner stoutly denied any complicity in the attempted capture of the youths, and professed the most thorough ignorance of them or any desire to pursue and retake the runaways. He explained that he and his friends had come from Douglas county in search of some stray cattle, and were just on the point of turning back when they saw the boys and a moment afterward the cavalry.

There was nothing to disprove his story, and no evidence against him except the circumstantial evidence that he and his friends were riding very rapidly toward the youths before they saw the cavalry, and tried hard to get away immediately afterwards. If their mission was an innocent one, there was no reason for their fast riding; and furthermore they had no need to be as alarmed as they were on seeing the soldiers. But of course this was only circumstantial, and he might have been released but for a suggestion from Harry, on which action was immediately taken.

The five horses which Harry and Jack had secured at the time of their hasty flight from Mr. Jones's house were turned loose in the yard; they had not been fed since their night-journey, and might fairly be supposed to be hungry.

Soon after they had thus been put by themselves the officer who had charge of the prisoner suggested that they would go and see what the general had to say on the subject of liberating the captive. As if by accident they crossed the yard where the horses where inclosed, the prisoner not suspecting the trick and being too intent on his release to observe the presence of the captured animals, especially as they were mingled with some ten or twelve others.

As they entered the yard one of the horses came familiarly up to the prisoner, rubbed his nose against the man's shoulder, and in other ways gave most positive testimony that he had found his master. The identification of the man by the horse was complete. As the officer and his charge walked around the yard and then out of it, the horse followed like a dog; and though the man protested that he had never before set eyes on the animal, the evidence was altogether too strong against him to be doubted.

“That's enough,” said the officer, when the horse had followed the man for five or six minutes. “We'll hold on to you for a while and see what 'll turn up. Guess we 'll send you to St. Louis and have you tried for bushwhacking.”

At this the fellow broke down and confessed to his connection with the plan for abducting the boys. Then he was plied with questions, and before his inquisitors were through with him they had elicited a good deal of valuable information. On the strength of this information an expedition was immediately sent out, which succeeded in capturing a small camp and securing a goodly supply of provisions that had been accumulated for the purpose of sending to Price's army as soon as the way was open. Altogether the performance of Harry and Jack on that memorable night “panned out” very well, to use the expression of a gold-miner belonging to one of the companies of the Ninth Iowa.

A few days after the occurrences above narrated the army moved to Batesville, Arkansas, farther down the White river, and at a point where General Curtis expected to be met by gun-boats convoying steamers with supplies and ammunition for his army. No enemy opposed them, and there were no incidents of consequence on the march. There was a small force of rebel cavalry in the town, but it fled before the advance of the army after firing a few shots, which did no harm to any one.

Harry and Jack now believed that the long-talked-of advance on Little Rock had begun. Batesville is about one hundred miles from that city, and if unopposed in its march, the army could easily reach it in a week or ten days. The rumor went through the army that Little Rock was the objective point of the campaign, and bets were freely offered that the stars and stripes would float over the capital of Arkansas long before the fourth of July.

But there were serious difficulties in the way of the advance in the desired direction. In the first place, the river was unusually low for that season of the year, as it had only four feet of water in the channel, while the gun-boats and most of the transports needed not less than five or six feet. One of the gun-boats that tried to ascend the river was blown up by a rebel battery at St. Charles, and the transports could not move without the aid of their armed brothers. The wagon road to Rolla was a long one and open to interruptions by raiding bands of rebels. One entire train was captured and destroyed by them within thirty miles of Rolla, and other trains were more or less interfered with. The army was short of food and ammunition, and in such a condition it could not take the offensive.

To add to General Curtis's perplexities a part of his army (ten regiments) were ordered to join the forces of General Halleck, then besieging Corinth, Mississippi, and to move with all possible haste. They were ordered in the direction of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, two hundred and forty miles away. They performed the march in ten days, an average of twenty-four miles a day, which may be considered one of the best instances of marching during the war. Many of the men wore out their shoes on the journey, and were barefooted for the last fifty or sixty miles. The withdrawal of this force, added to the scarcity of provisions and ammunition, made the army too weak to venture upon Little Rock, and General Curtis began to turn his eyes in the direction of the Mississippi river.

The army remained seven weeks at Batesville, and during that period it sent out many foraging expeditions, in the hope of collecting provisions enough to subsist it without drawing upon its scanty supply of rations which it had received from Rolla. But in spite of all efforts the supply could not be maintained, and many a time the soldiers had to live two days upon food that would have been no more than enough for one. The gun-boats and the transports did not come, and instead of rising the river continued to fall.

Harry and Jack accompanied many of the foraging expeditions, and, on several occasions, they were of much practical service. Harry was able to find concealed stores of pork and bacon where others declared there was nothing, and one day Jack brought from under a heap of straw sufficient bacon to feed a whole regiment for nearly a week. Harry had a keen eye for chickens, and whenever he went on a tour it was a noticeable circumstance that General Vandever usually had chicken that day for supper. Jack was as sharp after pigs as Harry was for chickens, and many were the young porkers that fell into his hands.

One day they ran into a scouting party of rebels, and the foraging party had a sharp skirmish with their adversaries over the possession of a haystack. The rebels were discomfited and the unionists secured the coveted prize, but not until three of their number had been wounded, one of them severely. The rebels suffered to the extent of having two men killed, two or three wounded and four captured. The prisoners were taken back to camp under guard of two soldiers, assisted by our young friends, who kept a sharp watch to prevent the escape of the captives. During the march Harry fell into conversation with one of them, and very soon learned something that caused him to open his eyes with astonishment.

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