The major is bringing up
the rear of our column, but here are other friends of yours."
Dick the next moment was wringing the hand of the Vermont boy and was
receiving an equally powerful grip in return.
"I believed that we would meet you here," said Warner, "I calculated
that with your courage, skill and knowledge of the country the chances
were at least eighty per cent in favor of your getting through to Buell.
And if you did get through to Buell I knew that at least ninety per cent
of the circumstances would represent your desire and effort to come
here. That was a net percentage of seventy-two in favor of meeting you
here in Cairo, and the seventy-two per cent has prevailed, as it usually
does."
"Nothing is so bad that it can't be worse," said Sergeant Whitley,
as he too gave Dick's hand an iron grasp, "and I knew that when we lost
you we'd be pretty glad to see you again. Here you are safe an' sound,
an' here we are safe an' sound, a most satisfactory condition in war."
"But not likely to remain so long, judging from what we see here,"
said Warner. "We hear that this man Grant is a restless sort of a
person who thinks that the way to beat the enemy is just to go in and
beat him."
Major Hertford came up at that moment, and he, too, gave Dick a welcome
that warmed his heart. But the boy did not get to remain long with his
old comrades. The Pennsylvania regiment had been much cut down through
the necessity of leaving detachments as guards at various places along
the river, but it was yet enough to make a skeleton and its entity was
preserved, forming a little eastern band among so many westerners.
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