Between the bushes which lined the edge of the fork stood
several tall trees, with their trunks lost in black, ragged undergrowth. In
the darkness he made out a trail. Again he paused, straining for the
slightest sound. As he took a step forward he heard someone say:
"Hello, there!"
He stopped short. "Hello," he gasped; then, when he had overcome his
surprise, "Where are you?"
"Just four feet ahead of you."
"Who are you?"
"Brown, Company F, Twenty-first Ohio."
"Oh,"--this with relief in his voice--"I'm Burns, Company B, of the Second.
Are there any others here?" He went forward and they tried to make out each
other's faces in the dark.
"No. There was to be a third man with us, Andrews said," answered Brown.
"He hasn't come yet."
"And who's Andrews?" asked Tom.
Brown laughed. "Why, he's the man who's leading us. The one who's going to
take us in."
"I didn't know," answered Tom. "They didn't tell me much--except that I was
going. That was enough."
"That's about as much as most of the men know," remarked Brown. "Knight and
I were the only ones who talked with Andrews. We are the engineers."
"The engineers?" asked Tom. "What sort of engineers?" He heard Brown
chuckle.
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