"Haven't they any respect for the night?"
"Not a bit. That fellow Grant is a pounder. They say he'll blow away
the whole plateau of Vicksburg if we don't drive him off."
"Well, we'll do it. You wait till old Joe Johnston comes up. Then we'll
shut him between the jaws of a vise and squeeze the life out of him."
"Hope so. Where've you been?"
"Down below the town. I'm coming back with messages."
"So long. Good luck. Keep straight ahead, and you'll find all the
generals you want."
The lights increased and he went into a small tavern, where he bought
food and a cup of coffee, paying in gold. The tavern keeper asked no
questions, but his eyes gleamed at sight of the yellow coin.
"Mighty little of this comes my way now," he said frankly, "and our
own money is worth less and less every day. If things keep on the way
they're headed it'll take a bale of it as big as a bale of cotton to pay
for one good, square meal."
Dick laughed.
"Not so bad as that," he said. "You wait until we've given Grant a big
thrashing and have cleared their boats out of the river.
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