He says that he shall make acquaintances among the negroes North, and will find someone who will read your note to him and write you an answer.

I have told him that if he is caught at the game he is likely to be inside a prison a bit longer than you are, even if worse doesn't befall him.

However, he makes light of this, and is bent upon carrying out his plans, and I can only hope he will succeed.
"I have just heard that we shall fall back across the Rappahannock to-morrow, and I imagine there will not be much hard fighting again until spring, long before which I hope you will be in your place among us again.

We lost twenty-three men and two officers (Ketler and Sumner) yesterday.

Good-by, old fellow! I need not say keep up your spirits, for that you are pretty sure to do.
"Yours truly, "James Sinclair." After the first start at seeing Dan, Vincent was scarcely surprised, for he had often thought over what the boy would do, and had fancied that while, if he supposed him dead, he would go straight back to the Orangery, it was quite possible that, should he hear that he was a prisoner, Dan might take it into his head to endeavor to join him.