But Dick heard only vaguely. The
statement made no impression upon him at that time. Yet he was
conscious that the feeling of uneasiness still pervaded the officers.
He noticed it in Colonel Winchester's tone, and he noticed it, too,
in the voices of Colonel Newcomb and Major Hertford, who came presently
to confer with Winchester.
But the boy fell into his doze again, while they were talking. Warner
and Pennington, who had done less arduous duties, were sound asleep near
him, the low flames now and then throwing a red light on their tanned
faces. It seemed to him that it was about half way between midnight and
morning, and the hum and murmur had sunk to a mere minor note. But his
sleepy eyes still saw the dim forms of men passing about, and then he
fell into his uneasy doze again.
When he awoke once more it was misty and dark, but he felt that the dawn
was near. In the east a faint tint of silver showed through the clouds
and vapors. Heavy banks of fog were rising from the Cumberland and the
flooded marshes. The earth began to soften as if unlocking from the
hard frost of the night.
Colonel Winchester stood near him and his position showed that he was
intensely awake. He was bent slightly forward, and every nerve and
muscle was strained as if he were eager to see and hear something which
he knew was there, but which he could not yet either see or hear.
Dick threw off his blanket and sprang to his feet.
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