The nook in the mountains which he had chosen as his resting place was a cleft in the rocks, concealed by the overhanging branches of trees.  Here he made his bed, as the sun rose, and, worn out with fatigue and anxiety, he dropped asleep.

When he awoke, the sun was near the meridian.  He rose and walked out a short distance from his lodging place, and listened for any sounds which might indicate the presence of an enemy.  All was still; silence deep and profound reigned through the solitudes of the mountains.  Tom returned to his place of concealment, and after eating the remainder of the food he had brought with him, he stretched himself upon the ground, and went to sleep again.  He had nothing else to do, and he needed all the rest he could obtain.  It was fortunate for him that he had self-possession enough to sleep—­to banish his nervous doubts and fears, and thus secure the repose which was indispensable to the success of his arduous enterprise.

It was after sundown when he finished his second nap.  He had slept nearly all day,—­at least ten hours,—­and he was entirely refreshed and restored.  He was rather stiff in some of his limbs when he got up; but he knew this would wear off after a little exercise.  He had no supper with which to brace himself for the night’s work; so he took a drink from the mountain stream, and made his way back to the railroad.  But it was too early then to commence the passage of the Gap, and he sat for a couple of hours by the side of the road, before he ventured to resume his journey.

While he was passing through the narrow gorge in the mountains, he met several persons, on foot and on horseback; but as he was armed with a pistol, he did not turn out for them; but when a party of soldiers approached, he sought a hiding place by the side of the road until they were out of hearing.  When he had passed through the Gap, he came to a road crossing the track, and after debating the question thoroughly, he decided to abandon the railroad, and pursued his course by the common highway towards the North.

Continuing his journey diligently for a time longer, he came to another road, branching off to the left from the one he had chosen, which required further consideration.  But his conclusion was satisfactory, and he continued on the same road, which soon brought him to a more thickly settled country than that through which he had been travelling.

By this time Tom’s stomach began to be rebellious again, and the question of rations began to assume a serious aspect.  He was not suffering for food, but it was so much more comfortable to travel upon a full stomach than an empty one, that he could not pass a dwelling house without thinking of the contents of the cellar and closets.  It was perfectly proper to forage on the enemy; but he could not eat raw chicken and geese, or the problem of rations would have been effectually settled by a demonstration on the hen-coops of the Shenandoah valley.