He felt a thrill of satisfaction, because he was there and he had seen them.
He rode in the forest parallel with the troop and at a distance of about four hundred yards.

There was scattered undergrowth, enough to hide him, but not enough to conceal those three hundred men who rode in close files along a well-used road.
Harry soon saw the forest thinning ahead of him and then the trumpet sang its mellow, golden note again.

From a point perhaps a mile ahead came a reply, also the musical call of the trumpet.

Not an echo, but the voice of a second trumpet, and now Harry knew that another force was coming to join the first.

All his pulses began to beat hard, not with nervousness, but with intense eagerness to know what was afoot.
Evidently it must be something of importance or strong bodies of Union cavalry would not be meeting in the woods in this manner.
After the reply neither trumpet sounded again, and the troop that Harry was following stopped while yet in the woods.