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“The general, who was now so infuriated he could not speak, jerked savagely at the reins; but Almia had just given the noble animal another biscuit, and his nose was seeking the pocket from which it came. The horse was conquered!

“At this moment a rifle-ball shrieked wildly overhead. The enemy had perceived the little party upon the hillock. The three soldiers, who stood a little below, shouted to Almia to come down or she would be killed. She instantly obeyed this warning, but she did not release her hold upon the general’s bridle. She started down the hillock away from the battle, and the horse, who willingly subjected himself to her guidance, trotted beside her. The general did not attempt to restrain him, for he had been startled by the rifle-shots.

“A little below the edge of the hill Almia stopped, and, turning toward the Commander-in-Chief, she said, ‘You might as well surrender. I do not wish to injure you, but if you compel me to do so, I must.’ And with this she drew the pistol from her pocket.

“‘Is that thing loaded?’ exclaimed the general.

“‘It is,’ answered Almia, ‘and with five balls.’

“‘Please put it back in your pocket,’ said the officer, who, for the first time during the terrible battle, showed signs of fear. ‘A girl with a pistol,’ said he, ‘makes me shudder. Why do you stand there?’ he shouted to the three men. ‘Come here and take her away.’

“But they did not obey, and the black-haired soldier stepped forward. ‘You are my enemy, sir,’ he said, ‘and I am bound to assist in your capture if I can. There are two of your own men here, but only one of them is armed.’

“As he spoke these words a great shell struck the top of the hillock and blew the earth and little stones in every direction. Without a word the whole party retired rapidly to an open space behind a large overhanging rock. The general was very much disturbed. The enemy must be getting nearer. He almost forgot Almia.

“‘Look here,’ he cried to the brown-haired soldier; ‘creep back to the top of the hillock and tell me how the battle goes.’ With furrowed brows he waited, while Almia fed his horse. The brown-haired soldier came quickly back. ‘Tell me,’ cried the general, without waiting for the other to speak, ‘has my cavalry made its grand charge, and cut off the approach of the left wing of the enemy?’

“‘No, sir,’ replied the soldier, touching his cap; ‘it did not charge in time, and it is now all mixed up with the artillery, which is rapidly retiring.’

“‘What!’ cried the general, ‘retiring?’

“‘Yes, sir,’ said the soldier; ‘I am sorry to say that our whole army is retreating, pell-mell, as fast as it can go. The enemy is in active pursuit, and its left wing is now advancing up this side of the valley. In less than twenty minutes the retreat of our cavalry and artillery will be cut off by the hills, and the infantry is already scattering itself far and wide.’

“‘I must go!’ shouted the general, drawing his sword from its scabbard. ‘I must rally my forces! I must–‘

“‘No, general,’ said the brown-haired soldier; ‘that is impossible. If you were now to attempt to approach our army you would throw yourself into the ranks of the enemy.’

“The Commander-in-Chief dropped the bridle from his listless hands, and bowed his head. ‘Lost!’ he murmured. ‘Lost! And this was the decisive battle of the war! If I had been able to order my cavalry to charge, the enemy’s left wing would have been cut from their main body. But for you,’ he continued, fixing his eyes upon Almia with a look of unutterable sadness, ‘I should have done it. You have caused me to lose this battle.’

“Almia drew herself up, her heart swelling with emotion. This was the proudest moment of her life–prouder by far than she had ever expected any moment of her existence to be. ‘Yes,’ she said; ‘that is what I did. And if this was the decisive battle of the war, then will follow peace; blood will cease to flow, widows and orphans will cease to suffer, and men who have been fighting one another like tigers without really understanding why they sought one another’s lives will again meet as friends.’