“The whole matter is this,” said the general, “each brigade must send a man to the front to observe the enemy.  Will you go for this brigade?”

“Yes, sir,” I said; “I ought to, if you so command.”

“There is no compulsion,” said he; “a man who objects to going should not be allowed to go.”

“My objections, General, are not strong enough, to make me decline.”

“Then let us understand each other.  Do this for me and you shall lose nothing by it.  All proper favours shall be shown you if you do your duty well.  Extra duty demands extra privilege.”

“Can I see Dr. Khayme?” I asked.

“No, not to-night; he attends the right wing.  Now, Berwick, let me show you.”

He bent down by the lantern and was about to sit, when an officer stepped before and spread a gum-blanket on the ground, and placed the lantern near the blanket.

“Thanks, Hibbert,” said General Grover.

The general took a map from one of his aides, and spread it on the blanket.  It was a mere sketch—­a very few lines.

“Here is our position,” said he, making a mark with a pencil; “you see our line here, running north and south.”

“Which is north?” I asked.

“Here, this way.  We are in these woods; the rebels are over here, or were there at last accounts.  Our picket-line is along this branch, in part.  I want you to go through our pickets, and get across the branch, and go on through the woods until you come to this road, which you see running north and south.  You need not go across this road.  All I want you to do is to observe this road until day.”

“Is the road in the woods, General?”

“Well, I don’t know, but I think it is.  You will have no trouble whatever, unless the rebels have their pickets on this side of the road,” said he.

“But in case the rebels are on this side of the road, what shall I do?”

“It may be that their skirmishers are in the road, and their vedettes near the branch; in that case get as near as possible to the road.  If they are on this side of the road, but so near the road that you can observe it with eye or ear, why, observe it with as little risk to yourself as possible.  If bodies of troops move on the road, you must come back to the picket-line and report, and then return to your post of observation.”

“Would it not be well to have an intermediate man between me and our picket-line?”

“A good idea, sir.  We’ll get the captain of the pickets to supply one.”

“And now, General, suppose that the rebel pickets are much this side of the road.”

“Then use your discretion, but observe that road this night.  Take your own way to do it, but the road must be observed.”

“How far do the woods stretch beyond the road, General?”

“If this sketch can be relied on, not more than three hundred yards,” said he; “but it will not do to rely on this piece of paper.”