They had found three horses, tethered in a spot through which ran a trail running east and west, diagonally to the course they were pursuing.

"Hist, somebody is coming," whispered Deck, as Life started to speak; and both shrunk back in the shadow of a clump of bushes.

They could hear the low murmur of three voices, and presently they distinguished three Confederates, attired in the uniform of the signal corps. Each man carried a pair of field-gla.s.ses and some sort of an apparatus strapped to his back.

"They are the fellows we are after, sure enough," whispered Life. "Three to two. What shall we do?"

"Wait; and see to your pistol," answered the major, in an equally low voice.

"Captain, what did you make that last signal out to mean?" asked one of the Confederates.

"It meant that the Yankees have crossed Sand Mountain and are a.s.sembling along Lookout."

"But what of the cavalry?"

"They are on the extreme right of their troops."

"Then they must be in this neighborhood. It's a good thing for General Wheeler that we have learned this. I suppose they'll come close to Alpine."

"More than likely they'll strike right through to Summerville."

"Then they mean to turn our left if they can," put in the third signalman, who had not spoken heretofore. "What do you suppose General Bragg will do?"

"He'll come out of Chattanooga and fight 'em, that's what he'll do, Simpler. To my notion it was foolish not to offer them a fight right on the bank of the Tennessee."

Speaking in this strain, the three signalmen turned in at the spot where they had left their horses, and began to untie the animals. While they were doing this, Life leaned over to Deck.

"Well?" he asked in a whisper.

"Do you think we can manage them, Life?"

"Why not? We have the drop of them, if we keep behind the trees."

"I should like to make them prisoners."

"Let us try it; I don't think we'll come off second best," answered the matter-of-fact captain of the seventh company.

Deck raised his pistol and Life did the same. "I'll cover the fellow beside the white horse," he explained.

"Correct; I'll cover both of the others," was Life's reply, as he produced another weapon.

The next moment Deck called upon the three signalmen to surrender. His command started the three very much, and they stopped their talk and gazed around them in bewilderment.

"What's that?" questioned the captain, nervously.

"I call on you to surrender. Down with your arms or you are dead men."

"Who are you?"

"A major in the Union army, in command of a detachment of sharpshooters," answered Deck, telling the exact truth.

"Stand ready to fire, boys," he continued, as if addressing a full company behind him.

"We surrender," said the leader of the signalmen, promptly.

"Throw down your arms."

One after another the weapons of the Confederates were cast away.

"Keep them well covered, boys," said Deck, and going forward he gathered the pistols up, also the captain's sword.

"Now march down the hillside in that direction," went on the major; "and no treachery, or you'll be dead men inside of ten seconds." He raised his voice. "Forward, boys! Captain Knox, take command!"

"All right, Major," answered Knox, gruffly. He turned around. "Forward, boys, and keep them covered," and then as the Confederates moved off, he also moved, making as much noise as a dozen men. The ruse was completely successful, even more so than it had been at the time the cannon on the raft was captured.

At the foot of the hill Clefton, the sharpshooter, was called up, and sent to notify the others. Soon the detachment of seven was a.s.sembled, and then all surrounded the prisoners.

"You don't mean to say this is all the men you have?" demanded the leader of the signalmen.

"I haven't any others very near," said Deck.

"Well, that's the time I was fooled for fair. I thought you had a full company stuck up there among the trees."

"Are you prepared to go along peaceably?" asked Deck, to change the subject.

"Being unarmed, how can we help ourselves?"

"I see you have a large stock of common sense, even if you were captured," said Deck, with a laugh. "All right, you shall ride, but your animals must be chained to our own, or they might run away with you in the darkness."

"Which means that we might try to run away on them."

"I didn't put it quite so pointedly, Captain."

"But you meant it, nevertheless. Well, it's all right,--'fortune of war,' so to speak, and I shan't complain. Who are you?"

"Major Deck Lyon, of the Riverlawn Cavalry of Kentucky."

"And I am Captain Vallingham, of the South Carolina volunteers,--now on detached duty."

"You seem to have been running a sort of a signal station up there, Captain Vallingham."

"Oh, we have been amusing ourselves."

"Do you think the persons who were signalled to were likewise amused?"

"How do you know we were signalling to anybody?"

"I take it for granted you didn't wave those pine knots to the stars.

You are too intelligent a man to believe in negro voodooism."