‘Ef we on’y knew ezackly when he’d start, and how fur away his boat is,’ said Ephraim dubiously.
‘Well,’ said Lucius, who had gone to the door, ‘there is a civilian walking towards the river now. See, he has just come round the bend of the woods from the camp. Of course, I don’t know whether it’s your admirable civilian or not, for I didn’t see him, but’——
‘By time! It’s him, shore enuff,’ broke in the Grizzly excitedly. ‘Now, Luce, ef we’re goin’ ter do ennythin’, we must do it sharp and quick. We carn’t foller straight in his tracks, thet much is cl’ar. He’s got a start, and we must allow him a leetle more. What we got ter do is, to go down the woods a space, and then make a bee-line fer the river. We kin steal up the bank through the belt er trees thet fringes it, and ef we carn’t head him orf, maybe we kin stop him before he gits across.’ He tapped his rifle significantly.
They set off running as hard as they could through the trees for a hundred yards or more, and then Ephraim stopped to spy out the land.
‘He’s goin’ very slow, Luce,’ he said. ‘I reckon we shall head him off if we kin git thar ’thout bein’ stopped. Now, bub, across the first field fer all ye’re wuth.’
Three wide fields intervened between them and the river, and the risk that they would be seen was very great. They were forced to incur it, though; and, besides, they hoped that their blue uniforms would divert suspicion from them if any one should catch sight of them. However, they crossed the first and second fields in safety, and concealed themselves in a ditch while making a survey of the third. The man was out of sight now, but it was only the conformation of the country which concealed him. As a matter of fact, the boys were nearer the river than he was.
‘Thar’s one thing, though,’ said Ephraim, as they sat in the ditch. ‘Thet belt er wood by the river is bound ter be full er Yankee pickets. We han’t got the countersign. What’s ter be done ef we air stopped?’
‘Let’s go on until we are stopped,’ urged Lucius the bold.
Ephraim shook his head. ‘No,’ he said; ‘that’ll not do. We should on’y be turned back agen.’ He thought deeply for a moment, the blue vein coming out in the middle of his forehead, as it always did when his mind was concentrated. All at once he slapped his hand upon his thigh. ‘By time! I’ve got it!’ he exclaimed, and burst out laughing.
‘What have you thought of?’ asked Lucius eagerly.