The colonel
assured him that he would be in no danger, even if he were caught by
the rebels, for they would never suspect a boy of Archie's age and
size of being a spy. So the lad felt no fear at all, and made what few
preparations there were to be made before starting. He secured a
knapsack from the commissary officer, and in this he placed what few
belongings he wanted to take with him, together with his note-books
and some provisions for the trip. Then he secured a small pistol,
which he carried in his hip pocket, and he was disappointed because
the colonel would not allow him to carry a rifle. And when he had
everything ready he said good-bye to his friends in the regiment, and
departed from the palace amid a multitude of cheers. At the last
moment the colonel tried to dissuade him from starting, for fear he
might meet with some accident, but Archie was determined to make the
attempt.
It was his plan not to go farther than fifty miles in the interior,
for he thought that if he found no traces of the rebels in that
distance there would be little use in going farther into the forest,
for, it would be almost impossible to find them there. So he set out
gaily upon his trip of exploration, and Archie couldn't remember when
he had been so happy before, save on that day when he first visited
the office of the Enterprise. This adventure was exciting enough to
please the wildest boy in America, and Archie could imagine how
envious the other boys would be if they could but know the trip he was
having.
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