"Then you are convinced Price would be whipped?"
"I know it!"
"I am of your opinion, orderly. But Price has determined to fight. He has great confidence in his position here, and thinks that he can whip twice his number. Let mo look at those papers!"
The orderly passed the papers to Hayward.
"Now, let me tell you, orderly, I think it is all folly for Price to meet the federal army, even if he has a strong position. You know they have sixty—some say eighty thousand men, and four hundred big guns—and yet Price thinks he can successfully meet—What do I see! Why, this paper states that the federal forces only number thirty or thirty-five thousand, and that they have less than two hundred guns! Oh! this is a mistake. Those men who brought this information, I will swear, are Union spies, and are deceiving General Price, merely to get him to fight. Now, I know the federals have more men than represented here, and if Price has determined to meet them with their sixty thousand what will he do if led to believe there are only thirty thousand? Why, he would advance at once and lead us all to death."
"What shall we do?" asked the orderly, evidently alarmed.
"Why, Price must not see these papers!"
"How can it be prevented?"
"Let me keep them!"
"But the spies are down at their tent, and as soon as the general comes, they will return and tell him all."