rash and then the senior officers held a conference, while all the men
remounted, save a dozen or so who would ride no more. But the colonel
did not abate one whit of his craft or caution.

They resumed the march toward Grant, but they avoided every field or open
space. They would make curves and lose time in order to keep in the
dense wood, but, as Dick knew, Colonel Winchester still suspected that
Forrest was hovering somewhere on his flank, covered by the great forest
and awaiting a favorable opportunity to attack.

They approached one of the deep and narrow streams that ultimately find
their way to the Mississippi. It had only one ford, and the scouts
galloping back informed them that the farther shore was held by a
powerful force of cavalry.

"It's Forrest," said Colonel Winchester with quiet conviction. "Knowing
every path of the woods, they've gone ahead of us, and they mean to cut
us off from Grant. Nevertheless we'll make a way."

He spoke firmly, but the junior officers of the staff did not exactly
see how they were going to force a ford defended by a larger number of
cavalry under the redoubtable Forrest.

"I didn't think Forrest would let us alone, and he hasn't," said
Pennington.

"No, he hasn't," said Warner, "and it seems that he's checkmated us, too.
Why, that river is swollen by the rains so much that it's a hard job to
cross it if no enemy were on the other side. But you'll note, also,
that the enemy, having got to the other side, can't come back again in