He
looked upon his mission as already accomplished, but his ambition to
reach the commander-in-chief first was yet strong.
He rode throughout the rest of the night and dawn and the pangs of hunger
came together. But he decided that he would not turn from his path to
seek food. He would go on straight for Lee and let hunger have its way.
He had a splendid horse under him and he was faring quite as well as he
had a right to expect. He thought of Shepard, and felt pity for him.
The man had only striven to do his duty, and while he had used force
he had been very courteous and polite about it. Harry was bound to
acknowledge that his had been a very chivalrous enemy and only his
superiority in swimming had enabled him to win over Shepard. He was glad
that he had saved him and had left him on the bank, so to speak, to dry.
Then Shepard faded away with the mists and vapors that were retreating
before a brilliant dawn. The country was high, rolling, and the foliage,
although much browned by the July sun, which was unusually hot that year,
was still dense. Most of the hills were heavy with forest, but all the
valleys between were fertile and well cultivated. With the dew of the
morning fresh upon it the whole region was refreshing and soothing to the
eye with a look of peace, where in reality there was no peace.
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