anticipation. He believed that they were going to give Forrest all he
wanted and maybe a little more.

Up rose the sun. Hot beams poured over forest and field, but the
cavalrymen still rode fast, the scent of battle in their nostrils.
Dick knew that these Southern streams, flooded by torrents of rain,
rose fast and also fell fast.

"How much further now, sergeant?" asked Grierson, as they turned from a
path into the deep woods.

"Not more than three miles, sir."

"And they know we're coming. Listen to that!"

Several rifles cracked among the trees and bullets whizzed by them.
Forrest's skirmishers and scouts were on the south side of the stream.
As they had foreseen, the river had sunk so much that it was fordable now
at many points. Dick was devoutly grateful that they had found Grierson.
Otherwise the Winchester regiment would have been flanked, and its
destruction would have followed.

Skirmishers were detached from Grierson's command and drove off the
Southern riflemen. Dick heard the rattling fire of their rifles in the
deep wood, but he seldom saw a figure. Then he heard another fire,
heavy and continuous, in their front, coming quite clearly on a breeze
that blew toward them.

"Your whole regiment is engaged," exclaimed Grierson. "Forrest must have
forded the river elsewhere!"