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communication
A READER-CENTERED
APPROACH
ninth edition

paul V.
anderson
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
CONTENTS

Preface for instructors xvii Chapter 2 Overview of the Reader-Centered

Approach: Writing for a Job 20
Part I
Understanding Your Reader 20
IntroductIon 1 Your Three-Part Job Application 21
But First: Check Your Online Presence 21
Chapter 1 Communication, Your Career, and
How to Write an Effective Résumé 21
This Book 2 Guid elin e 1: address your résumé to specific employers 21
Communication Expertise Will Be Critical to Your Success 2 Guideline 2: define your résumé’s objectives by learning exactly
Learning Objectives for This Chapter 3 what your reader wants 22
Characteristics of Workplace Writing 3 Guideline 3: think creatively about the ways your knowledge
serves Practical Purposes 3 and experience match the qualifications the employer
wants 23
must satisfy a Wide Variety of readers, sometimes in a single
Communication 4 Guideline 4: Choose the type of résumé that will display your
qualifications most effectively 24
uses distinctive Kinds of Communication 5
Guideline 5: draft your résumé’s text to highlight the qualifications
shaped by Context 5 that will most appeal to the employer 24
adheres to organizational expectations 5 Guideline 6: design your résumé’s appearance to support
Created Collaboratively 7 rapid reading, emphasize your qualifications, and look
uses social media for Practical Purposes 7 attractive 31
At Work, Writing Is an Action 8 Guideline 7: revise your résumé to increase its impact and to
eliminate errors and inconsistencies 32
At Work, Writing Supports the Reader’s Action 8
WrItEr’S tutorIaL using tables to design
The Two Essential Qualities of Effective Writing at Work:
a résumé 33
Usefulness and Persuasiveness 8
Adapting Your Print Résumé or Online Submission for
The Main Advice of This Book: Think Constantly about Your
Computer Evaluation 37
Readers 10
How to Create an Effective Professional
The Dynamic Interaction between
Portfolio 39
Your Communication and Your Readers 12
How to Write an Effective Application Letter 40
readers Construct meaning 12
Guideline 1: learn about each employer 40
readers’ responses are shaped by the situation 13
Guideline 2: use or adapt the conventional organization for
readers react moment by moment 13
workplace letters 41
Six Reader-Centered Strategies
Guideline 3: revise your letter to polish the image it projects
You Can Begin Using Now 14
of you 44
Communicating Ethically 16
Ethical Issues in the Job Search 45
How to Get Lasting Value from This Book and Your Course 17
Writing for Employment in Other Countries 47
reflection 17
Interviewing Effectively 47
Framework 17
Conclusion 48
developing the Habit of reflecting 18
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 48
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 19

vii

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 viii CONTENTS

Part II How to Conduct a Thorough, Focused Search for Information and

Ideas 72
tHE rEadEr-cEntErEd
Guideline 1: identify the full range of sources and methods that may
coMMunIcatIon ProcESS 49 provide helpful information 72
Guideline 2: use secondary sources your readers will find credible and
Chapter 3 Defining Your Communication’s unbiased 73
Goals 50 Guideline 3: use primary research methods in a credible and unbiased
Your Goal: To Envision Your Reader’s Response to Each Specific way 74
Aspect of Your Communication 50 Guideline 4: Gather information that can be analyzed in
How to Determine What Your Communication Must Do to Be subgroups 74
Useful 51 Guideline 5: take careful notes 75
Guideline 1: describe your reader’s goal 51 Intermission 75
Guideline 2: describe the tasks your reader will perform while reading How to Conduct Evidence-Based Analyses 77
your communication 53 Guideline 1: take another look at your research goals 77
Guideline 3: identify the information and ideas your reader will want Guideline 2: arrange your information in an analyzable form 77
your communication to provide 53
Guideline 3: look for meaningful relationships in your results 78
Guideline 4: describe the way your reader will look for the
information 55 How to Draw Evidence-Based Conclusions 79

How to Determine What Your Communication Must Do to Be Guideline 1: Choose conclusions that align with your readers’
Persuasive 56 decisions and actions 79

Guideline 1: describe your reader’s current attitudes Guideline 2: acknowledge uncertainty 79

and what you want them to be after reading your Guideline 3: explain the significance of your conclusions to your
communication 56 readers 80
Guideline 2: Find out why your reader holds his or her current How to Make Evidence-Based Recommendations 80
attitudes 56 How to Think Critically Throughout Your Research Process 81
How to Identify Factors that May Influence Your Reader's Guideline 1: let go of your anchor 81
Responses to Your Communication 56
Guideline 2: Value counterarguments, counterevidence, and
Guideline 1: describe your reader’s professional role and exceptions 81
characteristics 57
Guideline 3: avoid personal or organizational biases 81
Guideline 2: describe your reader’s relevant personal
How to Observe Intellectual Property Law and Document Your
characteristics 57
Sources 82
Guideline 3: describe the context in which your reader
Ethical Guidelines for Documenting Sources 84
will read 57
Conclusion 85
Guideline 4: Global Guideline: describe your reader’s cultural
characteristics 58 USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 85
Guideline 5: learn who all your readers will be 60
Identify Any Constraints on the Way You Write 64
Chapter 5 Using Six Reader-Centered
How to Treat Your Communication’s Stakeholders Ethically 64 Research Methods 88
Guideline 1: ethics Guideline: identify your communication’s Exploring Your Own Memory and Creativity 88
stakeholders 64 Brainstorming 88
Guideline 2: determine how your communication’s draw a Picture of Your topic 89
stakeholders will view its impact on them 65
Cluster sketch 91
Putting Your Definition into Action: An Example 65
Create and study a table or Graphic of Your data 91
Conclusion 68
Searching the Internet 91
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 69
using search engines and internet directories
effectively 92
Chapter 4 Conducting Reader-Centered using search engines efficiently 92
Research: Gathering, Analyzing, and Thinking evaluating Your search results 93
Critically about Information 70 Keeping records 94
What to Focus on Learning in this Chapter 70 Using Social Media 94
What Counts as Good Research in the Workplace? 70 examples of social media used for research 94
How to Conduct Focused Research 71 using social media for Your research 95

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 CONTENTS ix

Using the Library 95 Guideline 2: Write segments using patterns familiar to your
obtaining assistance from reference librarians 96 readers 126
using the library Catalog 96 Guideline 3: smooth the flow of thought from sentence to
sentence 126
Conducting subject and Word searches 96
Guideline 4: Present background information where it will most help
refining and extending Your search 97
your readers 127
using databases 97
Help Your Readers See the Organization of Your
reference Works 98 Communication 127
Government documents 98 Guideline 1: use headings 128
Interviewing 99 Guideline 2: use the visual arrangement of your text 132
Preparing for an interview 99 Guideline 3: use forecasting statements 133
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Conducting efficient library Guideline 4: use transitions 134
research 100
Global Guideline: Adapt to Your Reader's Cultural Background 134
Conducting the interview 102
Write a Beginning that Motivates Your Readers to Read 135
Concluding the interview 103
Guideline 1: announce your topic and its benefit to your
Conducting a Survey 103 readers 135
deciding What to ask about 103 Guideline 2: refer to your readers' request 136
Writing the Questions 104 Guideline 3: offer to help your readers solve a problem 136
selecting Your respondents 105 Guideline 4: adjust the length of your beginning to the situation 138
Contacting respondents 106 Guideline 5: adapt your beginning to your readers' cultural
interpreting Your results 107 background 140
How to Write Endings that Support Your Communication’s
Chapter 6 Organizing Reader-Centered Goals 140
Guideline 1: Help your readers remember what you most want them to
Communications 108
take away from your communication 140
Guideline 1: include everything your reader Guideline 2: Help your readers know what to do next 142
needs—and nothing else 108
Guideline 3: Follow applicable social conventions 143
Guideline 2: Group together the items your reader will use
Guideline 4: after you’ve made your last point, stop 143
together 109
Ethics Guideline: Examine the Human Consequences of What You’re
Guideline 3: Give the bottom line first 110
Drafting 143
Guideline 4: adapt an appropriate superstructure or other pattern
mining accidents 143
familiar to your reader 112
Writing with awareness of Human Consequences 144
Guideline 5: organize hierarchically 113
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 145
Guideline 6: Plan your graphics 114
Guideline 7: outline, if this will be helpful 115 Chapter 8 Using Eight Reader-Centered
Guideline 8: treat your communication’s stakeholders ethically 116 Patterns for Presenting Information and
How to Check the Usefulness and Persuasiveness of Your
Ideas 147
Organization 118
Conclusion 118 Grouping Items Formally (Formal Classification) 147

USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 119 How Formal Classification Works 148
Grouping Items Informally (Informal Classification) 150
Chapter 7 Drafting Reader-Centered Comparing Alternatives 152

Communications 121 two Patterns for organizing Comparisons 152

When to use each Pattern 152
The Similarities among Paragraphs, Sections, Chapters, and Short
Communications 121 Describing an Object (Partitioning) 155

Starting Segments 122 example: Partitioning a Car 155

Guideline 1: Begin by announcing your topic 122 description organized by Partitioning 155

Guideline 2: Present your generalizations before Describing a Process (Segmenting) 156

your details 124 Principles of Classification for segmenting 157
Draft Clear, Coherent, and Persuasive Segments 125 Describing a Cause-and-Effect Relationship 159
Guideline 1: move from most to least important or impressive 125 Helping readers understand a Cause-and-effect relationship 159

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 x CONTENTS

Persuading readers that a Cause-and-effect relationship exists 159 Guideline 1: simplify your sentences 196
logical Fallacies Common in arguments Guideline 2: Put the action in verbs 197
about Cause and effect 162 Guideline 3: use the active voice unless you have a good reason
Describing a Problem and Its Solution 162 to use the passive voice 198
Proposing the solution to a Problem 162 Guideline 4: emphasize what’s most important 199
reporting on a Past Problem-solving Project 163 Guideline 5: Vary your sentence length and structure 200
Combining Organizational Patterns 164 Guideline 6: Global Guideline: adapt your sentences for readers who
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 166 are not fluent in your language 201
Choose Words that Convey Your Meaning Clearly and
Chapter 9 Persuading Your Readers 168 Precisely 201
Guideline 1: use concrete, specific words 201
The Competitive and Collaborative Uses of Persuasion 168
G u i d e li n e 2 : use specialized terms when—and only when—your
To Persuade, Influence Your Readers’ Attitudes 168
readers will understand them 203
Focus on Your Readers’ Goals and Values 169
Guideline 3: use words accurately 204
organizational Goals 170
Guideline 4: Choose plain words over fancy ones 205
Values-Based Goals 170
Guideline 5: Choose words with appropriate
Personal Growth and achievement Goals 171 associations 205
Reason Soundly 171 Guideline 6: Global Guideline: Consider your readers’ cultural
Guideline 1: Present sufficient and reliable evidence 174 background when choosing words 206
Guideline 2: explicitly justify your line of reasoning 174 Guideline 7: ethics Guideline: use inclusive language 207
Guideline 3: respond to—and learn from—your readers’ concerns Conclusion 208
and counterarguments 175 USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 208
Build an Effective Relationship with Your Readers 176
Guideline 1: establish your credibility 177 Chapter 11 Writing Reader-Centered
Guideline 2: Present yourself as a partner, not a critic 178 Front and Back Matter 211
Organize to Create a Favorable Response 180 How to Plan Front and Back Matter 211
Guideline 1: Choose between direct and indirect organizational Guideline 1: review the ways your readers will
patterns 181 use the communication 211
Guideline 2: Create a tight fit among the parts of your Guideline 2: review your communication’s persuasive
communication 182 goals 212
Introduce Emotional Arguments if Relevant 183 Guideline 3: Find out what’s required 212
Global Guideline: Adapt to Your Readers’ Cultural Background 184 Guideline 4: Find out what’s expected 212
Ethics Guideline: Persuade Ethically 184 A Word about Conventions and Local Practice 212
Conclusion 185 How to Write a Reader-Centered Transmittal Letter 212
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 187 How to Write Reader-Centered Front Matter 213
Cover 214
Chapter 10 Developing an Effective,
title Page 215
Professional Style 190 summary or abstract 216
Create an Effective, Professional Voice 190 table of Contents 219
Guideline 1: Find out what’s expected 190 lists of Figures and tables 219
Guideline 2: Consider the roles your voice creates for your readers How to Write Reader-Centered Back Matter 219
and you 193
appendixes 219
Guideline 3: Consider how your attitude toward your subject will
references list, endnotes, or Bibliography 221
affect your readers 193
Glossary and list of symbols 221
Guideline 4: say things in your own words 193
index 221
Guideline 5: Global Guideline: adapt your voice to your readers’
cultural background 194
Chapter 12 Creating Reader-
Guideline 6: ethics Guideline: avoid stereotypes 195
Centered Graphics 224
How to Construct Sentences Your Reader
Will Find Easy to Understand, Easy to Remember, Identify Places Where Graphics Would Increase Your
and Interesting 196 Communication’s Effectiveness 224

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 CONTENTS xi

Guideline 1: Find places where graphics would make your WrItEr’S tutorIaL: organizational Charts 258
communication easier to use 224 WrItEr’S tutorIaL: schedule Charts 259
Guideline 2: Find places where graphics can increase your
communication’s persuasiveness 225 Chapter 14 Designing Reader-Centered
Choose the Type of Graphic Best Matched to Your Communication’s
Goals 226
Pages and Documents 261
Guideline 1: Consider your readers’ tasks 226 Design Elements of a Communication 262
Guideline 2: Consider your readers’ attitudes 226 Help Your Reader See How Your Communication Is Organized 262
Make Your Graphics Easy for Your Readers to Understand and Guideline 1: Create a grid to serve as the visual framework for your
Use 228 page 263
Guideline 1: design your graphics to support your readers’ WrItEr’S tutorIaL: designing Grid Patterns for Print 265
tasks 228 introduction to Guidelines 2 through 4 267
Guideline 2: Consider your readers’ knowledge and Guideline 2: align related elements with one another 267
expectations 228 Guideline 3: Group related items visually 268
Guideline 3: simplify your graphics 228 Guideline 4: use contrast to establish hierarchy
Guideline 4: label the important content clearly 229 and focus 270
Guideline 5: Provide informative titles 229 Other Visual Organizers 271
Use Color to Support Your Message 230 Use Word Processors to Create Page Designs 271
Use Graphics Software and Existing Graphics Effectively 234 Use Page Design to Unify a Long Communication Visually 271
How to Integrate Your Graphics with Your Text 235 Select Type that Is Easy for Your Readers to Read 274
Guideline 1: introduce your graphics in your text 235 Choose the Physical Characteristics That Support Your
Guideline 2: Place your graphics near your references Communication’s Goals 275
to them 235 Conclusion 275
Guideline 3: state the conclusions you want your readers to USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 275
draw 236
Guideline 4: When appropriate, include explanations in your Chapter 15 Revising Your Drafts 278
figures 236
Global Guideline: Adapt Your Graphics When Writing The Three Activities of Revising 278
to Readers in Other Cultures 236 Identify Ways to Improve Your Draft 279
Use Graphics Ethically 237 Guideline 1: Check from your readers’ point of view 279
Guideline 1: ethics Guideline: avoid graphics that mislead 237 Guideline 2: Check from your employer’s point of view 279
ethical Bar Graphs and line Graphs 237 Guideline 3: distance yourself from your draft 279
ethical Pictographs 237 Guideline 4: read your draft more than once, changing your focus
ethical use of Color 238 each time 280

Guideline 2: ethics Guideline: obtain permission and cite the sources Guideline 5: use computer aids to find (but not cure) possible
for your graphics 238 problems 280

Conclusion 238 Guideline 6: take special care with social media 281

USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 240 Guideline 7: ethics Guideline: Consider the stakeholders’
perspective 281
Checklist for Checking 281
Chapter 13 Creating Eleven Types of
Obtain Truly Helpful Advice from People Who Review Your Drafts—
Reader-Centered Graphics 241 And Give Good Advice when You Are Reviewing Someone Else’s
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: tables 242 Draft 282
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: line Graphs 244 Guideline 1: discuss the objectives of the communication and the
review 283
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Bar Graphs 246
Guideline 2: Build a positive interpersonal relationship with your
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Pictographs 248
reviewers or writers 283
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Pie Charts 249
Guideline 3: rank suggested revisions—and distinguish matters of
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Photographs 250 substance from matters of taste 284
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: drawings 252 Guideline 4: explore the reasons for your suggestions 284
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: screenshots 254 Guideline 5: Present your suggestions in the way that will be most
WrItEr’S tutorIaL: Flowcharts 256 helpful to the writer 285

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 xii CONTENTS

Guideline 6: ethics Guideline: review from the stakeholders’ Guideline 3: make a project schedule 310
perspective 286 Make Team Meetings Efficient and Highly Productive 311
Writer’s Guide for reviewing 287 Guideline 1: set and follow an agenda 311
Produce the Maximum Improvement in Limited Time 287 Guideline 2: encourage discussion, debate,
Guideline 1: adjust your effort to the situation 288 and diversity of ideas 311
Guideline 2: make the most significant revisions first 289 Guideline 3: take special care when revising drafts 312
Guideline 3: to revise well, follow the guidelines for writing Guideline 4: Global Guideline: Help your team work across cultural
well 290 differences 312
Guideline 4: revise to learn 290 Use Internet and Cloud Technology for Drafts 314
Conclusion 291 Guideline 1: Choose the computer technology best suited to your
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 291 team’s project 314
Guideline 2: use social media to your advantage 315
Chapter 16 Testing Your Drafts Guideline 3: For virtual teams, foster personal relationships and
conversational interchanges 316
for Usefulness and Persuasiveness 293
Learning Team Skills through Feedback 316
The Logic of Testing 293
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 318
How to Define the Goals of Your Test 293
How to Choose Test Readers 295 Chapter 18 Creating and Delivering
How to Test Your Draft’s Usefulness 295
Listener-Centered Oral Presentations 319
Guideline 1: ask your test readers to use your draft
the same way your target readers will 295 Define Your Presentation’s Objectives 319

G u i d e li n e 2 : interview your test readers after they have used your Guideline 1: determine who your listeners are, what
draft 298 task they want to perform, and what they need and expect from
you 319
Guideline 3: minimize the impact of your presence 299
Guideline 2: define your persuasive goals 320
How to Test Your Draft’s Persuasiveness 299
Select the Oral and Visual Media Most Likely to Achieve Your
Guideline 1: use likert-scale questions to evaluate Objectives 320
persuasiveness 300
Guideline 1: Choose the type of oral delivery by considering your
Guideline 2: avoid biasing your test results 300 audience and purpose 320
How to Interpret the Results of Your Test 301 Guideline 2: Choose your visual medium by considering your audience,
How to Test Communications You Write to Readers in Another topic, and purpose 321
Culture 301 Help Your Listeners Fully Understand and Remember Your Main
How to Treat Test Readers Ethically 302 Points 322
Conclusion 303 Guideline 1: identify the main points you want to make 323
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 304 Guideline 2: Create a simple structure built around your major
points 323
Guideline 3: Help your listeners follow the structure of your
Part III presentation 323
aPPLIcatIonS oF tHE rEadEr- Guideline 4: make easy-to-understand visuals 324
cEntErEd aPProacH 305 Guideline 5: Plan the verbal and visual parts of your presentation as a
single package 326
Chapter 17 Creating Communications G uid elin e 6 : adapt to your listeners’ cultural background 327
with a Team 306 Maintain Your Listeners’ Attention and Goodwill 329

Varieties of Team Structures 306 Guideline 1: speak in a conversational style 329

Keys to Team Success 307 Guideline 2: establish and maintain a personal connection with your
audience 330
Treat Other Team Members with Sensitivity and Respect 307
Guideline 3: respond effectively to your audience’s comments and
Develop a Shared Understanding of Team Goals and questions 332
Procedures 308
Guideline 4: rehearse 332
Guideline 1: Create a shared understanding of the communication’s
goals 309 Guideline 5: accept your nervousness—and work with it 333

Guideline 2: develop and share a detailed plan for the finished Make Effective Team Presentations 333
communication 309 Guideline 1: Plan thoroughly as a team 334

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 CONTENTS xiii

Guideline 2: Maintain overall consistency while allowing for individual Guideline 2: Global Guideline: Design your website to serve
differences 334 readers from countries and cultures other than your own 364
Guideline 3: Make smooth transitions between speakers 334 Follow Ethical and Legal Practices Concerning Your Website’s
Guideline 4: Rehearse together 334 Content 365

Conclusion 334 Guideline 1: Observe copyright law and acknowledge your

sources 365
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 335
Guideline 2: Provide thorough, accurate information that won’t harm
others 365
Chapter 19 Managing Client and Service-
Writer’s Guide and Other Resources 366
Learning Projects 337
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 366
Project Management and Client Communication 337
Establish a Detailed, Mutual Understanding Chapter 21 Writing Reader-Centered
of All Important Aspects of the Project 338 Correspondence: Letters, Memos, and
Guideline 1: Determine what your client wants and why 338 Emails 368
Guideline 2: Develop your own assessment
Use the Appropriate Level of Formality 368
of the situation 339
Take a Reader-Centered “You Attitude” 369
Guideline 3: Define what you will do for your client and how you will
do it 339 Apply Reader-Centered Advice from Other Chapters to Your
Correspondence 369
Guideline 4: Give your client a written proposal—and ask for a written
agreement 341 Guideline 1: State your main point up front—unless you expect your
readers to react negatively 369
Maintain a Productive Relationship with Your Client throughout Your
Project 346 Guideline 2: Keep it short 370
Guideline 1: Communicate candidly with your client during Guideline 3: Use headings and lists 370
the project 346 Guideline 4: Avoid communication clichés 370
Guideline 2: Advocate and educate, but defer to your client 347 Guideline 5: Global Guideline: Learn the customs of your readers’
Hand off Your Project in a Way Your Client Will Find Helpful 347 culture 370
Conclusion 347 Guideline 6: Follow format conventions and other customs 371

USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 348 Writing Reader-Centered Letters 371

Conventional Format for Letters 371
Chapter 20 Creating Reader-Centered Special Considerations for Writing Letters 371
Websites and Professional Portfolios 350 Writer’S tutorial: Writing Letters 372
Writing Reader-Centered Memos 374
How to Gain the Most Value from This Chapter 350
Memo Format 374
This Chapter’s Example: Digital Portfolio Websites 350
Special Considerations for Writing Memos 374
Define Your Website’s Goals 351
Writing Reader-Centered Email 375
Writer’S tutorial: Creating a Website Using Tables 352
Writer’S tutorial: Writing Memos 376
Research to Identify Useful, Persuasive Content 355
Writer’S tutorial: Writing Email 377
Organize to Help Your Readers Quickly Find What They Are
Looking for 355
Chapter 22 Writing Effectively on Social
Draft Your Website To Be Easy To Use, Persuasive,
and Attractive 356 Media at Work 378
Guideline 1: Include a variety of navigational guides in your web pages Kinds of Social Media Used at Work 378
and website 356 Reader-Centered Guidelines for Writing Effectively
Guideline 2: Design your pages so readers can immediately on Social Media 379
understand their organization 358 Guideline 1: Understand your readers and their reasons for
Guideline 3: Make your text easy to read 359 reading 379
Guideline 4: Unify your website verbally and visually 359 Guideline 2: Follow local conventions for the social media you are
using 380
Writer’S tutorial: Designing Grid Patterns for Web
Pages 360 Applying the General Guidelines for Three Major On-the-Job
Writing Tasks 380
Design Your Website for Diverse Readers 362
Writing to Obtain Information 380
Guideline 1: Ethics Guideline: Construct your website for use by
readers with disabilities 362 Sharing Information 381

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 xiv CONTENTS

using social media to Help a team Work effectively and Conducting Research for Feasibility Reports 430
efficiently 382 Organizing Feasibility Reports 430
Ethical Guidelines for Using Social Media 382 Crafting the Major Elements of a Feasibility Report 431
USE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED 383 introduction 431
Criteria 436
Chapter 23 Writing Reader-Centered
method 438
Proposals 384
overview of alternatives 438
The Variety of Proposal-Writing Situations 384 evaluation of the alternatives 438
example situation 1 384 Conclusions 439
example situation 2 385 recommendations 440
How Readers Use and Evaluate Proposals 385 Sample Feasibility Report 440
Superstructure for Proposals 386 Writer’s Guides and Other Resources 440
Crafting the Major Elements of a Proposal 387
introduction 387 Chapter 26 Writing Reader-Centered
Problem 388 Progress Reports 449
objectives 389 Typical Writing Situations 449
solution 390 Readers’ Concern with the Future 449
method 391 How Readers Use and Evaluate Progress Reports 450
resources 392 Superstructure for Progress Reports 451
schedule 392 Crafting the Major Elements of a Progress Report 451
Qualifications 392 introduction 451
management 393 Facts and discussion 452
Costs 393 Conclusions 454
Bringing It All Together 394 recommendations 455
Sample Proposals 394 Tone in Progress Reports 456
Writer’s Guides and Other Resources 395 Writer’s Guide and Other Resources 456

Chapter 24 Writing Reader-Centered Chapter 27 Writing Reader-Centered

Empirical Research Reports 403 Instructions 458
Typical Writing Situations 403 How Readers Use and Evaluate Instructions 458
How Readers Use and Evaluate Empirical Research Reports 403 Superstructure for Instructions 459
Superstructure for Empirical Research Reports 404 Guiding You through the Process of Preparing
Crafting the Major Elements of an Empirical Research Report 405 Instructions 459
introduction 405 defining Your instruction’s Goals 459
objectives of the research 406 Planning 460
method 407 drafting and revising 460
results 408 Crafting the Major Elements of Instructions 461
discussion 408 introduction 461
Conclusions 408 description of the equipment 464
recommendations 410 list of materials and equipment needed 464
Sample Empirical Research Reports 410 directions 465
Writer’s Guides and Other Resources 411 troubleshooting 469
Physical Construction of instructions 469
Chapter 25 Writing Reader-Centered sample Printed instructions 470
Feasibility Reports 428 Web Page Instructions 476
How Readers Use and Evaluate Feasibility Reports 428 Video Instructions 479
Superstructure for Feasibility Reports 429 Writer’s Guides and Other Resources 479

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 CONTENTS xv

appendix a Documenting Your Print sources 492

Sources 481 electronic sources 495
additional Common sources 496
Which Documentation Style To Use 481
Where to Place In-Text Citations 482 appendix B Reflecting for Transfer 497
How to Write APA In-Text Citations 482
Reflection 1: Transfer from the Past and into the Future 497
How to Write an APA Reference List 483
Reflection 2: Context 497
Print sources 483
Reflection 3: Reader-Centered Process 498
electronic sources 486
Reflection 4: The Nature of Workplace Writing 498
additional Common sources 487
Reflection 5: Superstructure or Genre 498
How to Write IEEE In-Text Citations 487
Reflection 6: What Makes You Most Proud? 498
How to Write an IEEE Reference List 487
Reflection 7: What Makes Writing Effective
Print sources 488 in the Workplace? 498
electronic sources 490
additional Common sources 491
References 499
How to Write MLA In-Text Citations 491 index 501
How to Write an MLA Works Cited List 492

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS

W elcome to the Ninth Edition of Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered

Approach. This edition, like the previous ones, has a single central goal: to
help you prepare your students to write effectively in their careers. Once again,
I am deeply indebted to the generous suggestions of instructors and students—my
own and others.

Key Features
While this edition includes many new features, it retains the features that instructors
and students have found most helpful.

Reader-centered approach. No matter what your students’ future (or current)

careers, their success as writers will depend on the responses they are able to elicit
through their writing from their readers. But people at work differ from one another,
just as they do in the rest of their lives. To write effective on-the-job communications,
students will have to learn about their specific readers and use that knowledge to cre-
ate communications that these particular persons will find helpful and persuasive.
The book’s advice and examples apply this reader-centered approach, whether
focusing on content, organization, and other large issues or on the smallest details
of sentence construction and table design.

You at the center. Unlike the many textbooks that, by implication, put you in the
secondary role of teaching what they say, this book places you at the center of your
course. It emphasizes the many indispensable ways you contribute to your students’
learning—that your knowledge of your students and their career plans enables you to
choose what parts of the book to cover, what to emphasize, and even what to disagree
with. It also highlights your ability to give something a book cannot: individualized
guidance and feedback.

Support for the course you design. The book’s broad coverage and simple, three-part
design enable you to choose the topics, assignments, and course design that will best
prepare your students with sophisticated yet transferable skills they can use wherever
they choose to work after graduation. The book’s “Writer’s Planning Guides” and
“Checklists,” its “Libraries of Projects and Cases,” and many of its other resources
can be downloaded in Word so you can tailor them to your course.

In-depth coverage in an easy-to-learn manner. In most chapters, the major points

are distilled into easy-to-remember guidelines whose implications and applications
are then elaborated. The guidelines themselves reinforce one another because they
all flow from a common set of reader-centered principles and processes.

xvii

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xviii PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS

Numerous richly annotated examples and sample documents. To students, guide-

lines can be mere abstractions accompanied by concrete examples illustrating their
application. Throughout, the book includes sample communications with annota-
tions that illustrate the use of its advice. Moreover, these annotations focus on the
writer’s purpose, thereby drawing students’ attention to the writer’s reader-centered
decisions and strategies.

New to This Edition

Of course, this new edition offered me a welcome opportunity to refine, update, and
respond to new developments in technical communication research and practice. It
is also an opportunity to act on recent suggestions from instructors and students,
Consequently, this edition includes the following new features.
■ New chapter on “Writing Effectively on Social Media at Work.” Many
organizations have learned that social media can increase efficiency—if
used in a business-oriented way. This new chapter builds on what students
already know about social media and explains how workplace uses of so-
cial media differ from their social uses. Several other chapters elaborate on
special uses of social media at work.
■ Integration of transfer of learning. Research over the past two de-
cades demonstrates how difficult it can be for students to adapt and
apply what they learned in college to the writing they do on the job.
However, more recent research has also uncovered strategies for in-
creasing the transfer of learning to novel situations. Building on this
research, Chapter 1 introduces the importance of learning in ways
that promote transfer. “Ref lect for Transfer” exercises are included at
the end of many chapters. A new Appendix B presents ref lection as-
signments you can ask students to complete when they turn in their
finished projects.
■ New section of creating professional portfolios in Chapter 2, “Overview
of the Reader-Centered Approach: Writing for a Job.” Professional port-
folios have become an important, widely used supplement to résumés and
job application letters. Chapter 2 also includes a new discussion of the
importance of creating a positive presence in social media, which, research
shows, most employers check before making job offers.
■ Simplified organization. To increase flexibility for your teaching and en-
hance student learning, the book’s overall organization has been modified
from nine parts in the previous edition to three. Also, the order and con-
tent of some chapters are revised. Details are provided below, in the section
titled “Organization of this Edition.”
■ Streamlined presentation. When I asked engineering and science stu-
dents how I could improve this edition, they told me to retain its central
features but also suggested several revisions. Their strongest advice was to
“Eliminate repetition, redundancy, and things we already know.” (See the
acknowledgments.) Looking at my text in light of their advice enabled me
to create a book that is significantly shorter and sharper, even though it
contains additional material.
■ Increased attention to building on what students already know. The goal
is to help students adapt and build on the writing and speaking skills they
bring to the course.

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS xix

■ Chapter 3, “Defining Your Communication’s Goals,” is shortened to em-

phasize more emphatically its key advice for learning what readers want
and what will influence their attitudes and actions.
■ Chapter 4,“Conducting Reader-Centered Research,” includes new discus-
sions of “What Counts as Good Research in the Workplace?” and ways to
conduct research that meets those criteria.
■ Chapter 5, “Using Six Reader-Centered Research Methods,” adds a new
section on “Using Social Media in Your Research.”
■ Chapter 6, “Organizing Reader-Centered Communications,” is recon-
structed to present its advice in a crisper, more engaging manner.
■ Chapter 7, “Drafting Reader-Centered Communications,” presents more
comprehensive advice by supplementing the guidelines on organizing the
body of a communication with advice on drafting its beginning and end-
ing, which had previously appeared in separate chapters.
■ Chapter 9, “Persuading Your Readers,” extracts, revises, and relocates in
a more logical place advice from the previous edition. The supporting re-
search is updated.
■ Chapter 11, “Writing Reader-Centered Front and Back Matter,” includes
new examples that provide more helpful guidance to students.
■ Chapter 15, “Revising Your Drafts,” includes a new discussion on revising
social media messages at work.
■ Chapter 17, “Creating Communications with a Team,” replaces earlier sec-
tions with new advice based on the latest research, including a five-year
study of 180 teams by Google.
■ Appendix A, “Documenting Your Sources,” includes the new, substantially
different (and improved) MLA style, as well as the current APA and IEEE
styles.
■ Appendix B, which is also entirely new, presents “Reflecting for Transfer”
assignments that are designed for use by students when they turn in
course projects.

Other Major Features

In addition to the major preserved features already named, I have also kept the fol-
lowing because instructors have told me that they increase the book’s breadth and
effectiveness for teaching and learning.
■ Writer’s Tutorials. The tutorials demonstrate ways students can achieve
some of the outcomes described in the text—for instance, by guiding stu-
dents step-by-step through certain processes. Some are included in the
text (see pages 33–35 and 352–354 for examples), and others are accessible
in MindTap.
■ Planning Guides and Revision Checklists. Integrated at key points in the
text, they assist students in applying the book’s advice as they work on
their course projects. Additional ones are available in MindTap. As men-
tioned above, all can be downloaded in Word so you can modify them to
your specific course and assignments.
■ Careful attention to international and intercultural communication.
Global Guidelines, integrated into the chapters, help students learn the

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
xx PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS

many ways that cultural differences affect communication and provide

concrete suggestions for increasing their effectiveness in cross-cultural
communications.
■ Marginal notes to extend learning. Three categories of marginal notes
summarize major principles, provide cross-references among chapters
(“Learn More”), and challenge students to apply key strategies to their own
experiences (“Try This”).
■ Continuous attention to ethics. Chapter 1 introduces the topic of ethics
in technical communication. Ethics guidelines are integrated into the
chapters, so ethics becomes a continuous topic throughout a course rather
than the topic for one day’s reading. In addition, most chapters include
special exercises that focus on ethical issues particular to the topic of
those chapters.
■ “Use What You've Learned” exercises. At the end of most chapters,
four types of exercises promote students’ ability to apply the book’s ad-
vice: “Apply Your Expertise,” “Explore Online,” “Collaborate with Your
Classmates,” and “Apply Your Ethics.” In addition, “Reflect for Transfer”
exercises challenge students to think about ways they could use what they
have learned in a chapter when writing on the job.

Organization of this Edition

I have simplified the organization of this edition to make it easier for you to select
the order in which you want to use the chapters and to provide you with a clearer
way to explain to your students the relationships among the chapters you’ve chosen.
■ Introduction. Part I includes two chapters. Chapter 1 can help you explain the
nature of writing in the workplace and the ways it differs from most (or all)
the writing students do in other courses. Chapter 1 also introduces the reader-
centered approach as well as the book’s approach to ethics and the transfer of
what students learn in your course to the writing they will do on the job.
I include Chapter 2, which focuses on writing for a job, in the intro-
duction because it helps students see in a very personal way why thinking
about their reader at every point in the process is the key to writing work-
place communications that achieve the results they want. However, other
instructors enjoy equal success assigning writing for a job at another point
in their courses or not at all.
■ The Reader-Centered Communication Process. Part II helps you pro-
vide your students with reader-centered guidance for each of the major
activities in the technical communication process, beginning with defin-
ing the goals for their communications through researching, organizing,
drafting, and revising. Four chapters focus on skills that are especially
important in technical communication but not most other writing
courses: creating graphics, crafting page designs (two chapters), and
user-testing drafts.
Most instructors (including me) assign these chapters out of order. As stu-
dents are working on each course project, we select the chapters from Part II
whose content students learn most effectively by applying it to that project.
■ Applications of the Reader-Centered Approach. Part III includes a va-
riety of chapters from which you can choose the ones that, based on your

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Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
were past the age for active service, though they had done their
duty in repressing outrages and keeping the peace.
Captain Gordon, who had been charged with the organization of the
first company, was in command of it, while Captain Truman, a young
lawyer, whose eloquent voice had been raised for the Union in the
important meeting at the Big Bend schoolhouse, was in command of
the second; but he had proved in the Riverlawn battle that he was a
brave man, and would make a good soldier. Tom Belthorpe, who had
taken part in the defence of Lyndhall and of Riverlawn, was first
lieutenant of the first company; while Major Gadbury, whose military
title was one of courtesy, held the corresponding rank in the second
company.
It had required a great deal of persuasion to induce the proprietor of
Riverlawn to accept the position of major. He was a man of
character; and some of the planters in the neighborhood, especially
Colonel Cosgrove and Colonel Belthorpe, convinced him that it was
his duty to the cause to take the place. He had proved to them, in
the engagements with the ruffians, that he had the material in his
composition of which reliable commanders are made.
Deck Lyon had a tremendous reputation for courage and skill at
Lyndhall; for he had rescued both of the daughters of its owner from
the hands of the ruffians, who had captured them for the purpose of
assisting in the recovery of the arms the major had secured. When it
came to the matter of electing officers for the second company, Tom
had advocated the choice of Deck as captain, though he was only
eighteen years old, to the position.
Of course the young man was elated at the idea of being elevated to
such a position before he had been tried in the service; but it did not
seem to be quite right to him, and he went to his father for advice.
The major promptly advised him to accept no position in the
company. He was too young to be the commander of a company,
which might be ordered on duty by itself. As his father pointed out to
him the difficulties in his way, Deck went to the other extreme, and
declined to take a place even as a non-commissioned officer. Artie
Lyon liked the stand he had taken so well, that he followed his
example, and both remained privates.
Deck and Artie did not forget the favorable mention of their names,
and they electioneered very zealously for the choice of Tom
Belthorpe as first lieutenant. In the case of the former, perhaps Deck
was unconsciously influenced by the fact that he had a very pretty
sister, who had manifested no little interest in him since he had
attacked the ruffian who held her as a prisoner. In fact, Tom had two
pretty sisters; but this fact affected Lieutenant Gadbury more than
any other person.
When the squadron had advanced a short distance, Major Lyon
wheeled his horse, and faced his command, who were marching as
usual on the road by fours. He had learned his lesson well at the
camp; for the squadron had been thoroughly drilled from the
beginning, up to the point where the "school of the battalion" had
been their practice.
"Battalion, halt!" he commanded, with a voice loud enough and clear
enough to be heard far back of the place where the order was given.
Captain Gordon declared that he had not caught the major in a
single error or slip since he had begun to exercise the squadron. The
command was repeated by the subordinate officers, and the force
came to a full halt. Deck had stopped by the side of the road, to
await the coming up of his section, and his father called him as soon
as he had halted the battalion.
The young man had been on a military errand for the major, rather
than for his father, who insisted that his two sons should fare
precisely the same as other soldiers of the companies. There was to
be no favoritism on account of relationship. Deck could not report
the result of his errand while the commander was marching at the
head of his column, for the new companies had not reached the
free-and-easy stage which came later.
Deck saluted the major as though they had never met before in their
lives, and his father acknowledged it. Then the private reported the
result of his mission.
"You have been making some stay at this house we are passing,"
continued Major Lyon, as he glanced back at the two boys who were
still standing there.
"Found a fight going on in the house, and I went in on account of a
call for help," replied Deck.
"But that is Pickford's house, and no ruffians would attack him,"
suggested the major. "Are these Titus's boys standing here?"
"They are. Uncle Titus has a bill against Pickford for twenty-seven
dollars for building his chimney, and Sandy and Orly were trying to
collect it by force of arms."
"I will hear more of that another time, Dexter," added Major Lyon,
cutting short the story. "I declare, I hardly knew those boys!"
"They have had a hard time of it; but I must fall in," said Deck, as
he began to turn his horse. "I suppose you are out for a drill, father."
"We are not; we are going on duty this time. General Buckner is
somewhere in this vicinity, and evidently intends to occupy Bowling
Green. Colonel Cosgrove came over to see me this morning. He says
Captain Titus's company have got into the Confederate army at last,
and have been supplied with arms of a poor quality, though not with
uniforms."
"His men have been about half-starved while waiting, and that is the
reason why Sandy and Orly came home," added the young soldier.
"Another time for that, Dexter. Are you all ready to march with your
company?" asked the major.
"I have my sabre, carbine, and pistols; but I have no blanket, as I
see the rest of the men have."
"You can be supplied from the wagon in the rear. But fall in," said
the major, as he prepared to resume the march.
Deck galloped back to the section in which he belonged, where he
had only to take his place at the side of Artie, though inside of him,
for he was a trifle taller than his cousin. In the infantry, the tallest
men are placed on the right, which is always the head of the
column, while in the cavalry the tallest are placed in the middle.
"What does all this mean, Deck? Didn't I see Sandy and Orly Lyon by
that house?" asked Artie.
"They are there, whether you saw them or not," replied Deck.
"Battalion, at ease, march!"
In the infantry, when the order for "route step!" is given, the men
need not even keep step, and the formalities are relaxed in some
other respects. In the cavalry, in which the horses take all the steps,
the strain of precise position and movement is removed, and the
soldiers may make the best of their journey. Artie wanted to know all
about his two cousins he had seen at Pickford's, and Deck told him
the whole story of what had occurred there.
"Is it possible that Uncle Titus's family are reduced to such a strait?"
demanded Artie, his pity and sympathy apparent on his face.
"The boys say Aunt Meely and the girls are going back to Derry; and
that looks as though the family were very hard up," replied Deck.
"And Mabel has gone out to work in the family of Dr. Falkirk."
"I think Sandy and Orly must be in a desperate situation when they
try to collect a bill with a gun."
"I have no doubt of it; though Sandy tried to put the best face on
the matter, and said the part of the Confederate army that was to
come to Bowling Green had not got there yet, and that they will be
all right as soon as the company is mustered in. Orly speaks out
loud, and tells all he knows about the condition of the family. He
wants to join one of our companies."
"Orly Lyon!" exclaimed Artie. "Why, he was one of the loudest
Secessionists in the village!"
"He has got enough of it, working without pay or rations," added
Deck. "But where are we going, Artie?"
"I'm sure I don't know; why didn't you ask your father, if you want to
know?"
"Ask my father! You know better than that, Artie; for you are aware
that commanding officers don't tell what they are going to do till
they get ready to do it," returned Deck.
"We are provided with ammunition and rations, and very likely we
have come out to-day in order to get used to carrying them on a
march," suggested Artie.
"Not at all; for father told me we were out on duty to-day, though he
did not say what it was," replied Deck.
The march continued all day long, and it began to look as though it
would extend into the night. About nine o'clock in the evening Major
Lyon called a halt at a point where a railroad could be seen in the
gloom of the night. The column had just crossed a bridge of
considerable length over a creek, and the position of the railroad
indicated that it must be bridged over the same stream.
While the commander and his officers were trying to make out the
surroundings, half a dozen muskets were discharged from a covert
of trees; but fortunately none of the cavalrymen appeared to be
struck by the bullets. But it was evident that the time for action had
come.
 CHAPTER V
THE LEADER OF THE SCOUTING-PARTY
As the squadron came to a region where Major Lyon was no longer
familiar with the country, scouts had been sent out ahead of the
column to give information in regard to any possible enemy.
Confederate troops had been reported from several different
directions by those who had occasion to travel about the State. As
indicated by some of their operations, their present policy was to
destroy the railroad bridges, so as to prevent the government from
forwarding troops by them.
General Buckner, or his forces, had destroyed one at Rolling Creek;
but he was supposed to be falling back upon Bowling Green, as
regiments from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois began to reach this part of
the State. It was possible that the squadron might come in contact
with some of these forces; and the men were very anxious to find
them.
Sergeant Knox was at the head of the scouts. He was a man of
forty-two, a tall, raw-boned Kentuckian, whose enterprise and love
of adventure had led him into the region beyond the Mississippi,
where he had been a regular soldier, a hunter, a trapper, and
voyageur. For some reason he had become a strong friend of Deck
Lyon, who was never tired of listening to his stories of the regions
beyond the pale of civilization. He was a bluff, good-natured man
with those who pleased his fancy; and, though he was not bitter or
revengeful, he was capable of being a terrible enemy.
Firing at a target was part of the regular drill of the cavalrymen in
camp, and Life Knox always put his ball inside of every other. His
name was Eliphalet, and he sometimes laughed at his parents for
giving him such a long name. Captain Gordon had had no little
difficulty in inducing him to sign his name in full on the enlistment
papers. He had abbreviated it to "Life," and declared that he had
never signed anything but that to any document in all his life.
He was born and "raised" in Warren County, though he had
wandered far from it at an early age, after the death of his father
and mother. He had a brother who was a prosperous planter, and
with him he had lived the last two years of his life. When he came to
Riverlawn to enlist, he brought with him a long rifle, which was a
load for an ordinary man to carry. He was told that he could make
no use of it in the army; but he asked Deck to take care of it for
him, and he put it in his room.
It was occasionally brought out when the soldiers were firing at a
target, and Life produced the most surprising results with it. He was
pretty sure to hit the bull's-eye with it every time; for he had been
trained where his daily existence depended upon the accuracy of his
aim. He could bring down a squirrel as far as he could see him; and
he always insisted that the rifle had as much to do with the result as
himself. His shooting was observed with interest by the officers and
men; and he was called, not simply a good, but a remarkable, shot.
He was a dead shot to any living thing at which he aimed.
Life Knox was a good-hearted man; but there was a sort of inborn
aristocracy in him which would not permit him to associate
intimately with all his comrades in the ranks, though he treated
them well, and spoke pleasantly to them. Deck was always
respectful to him, and Life had taken a decided fancy to him. When
the tall Kentuckian was ordered upon the scout, he took care that
Deck should be one of the party. They had ridden together all the
afternoon, and Life had made the time seem short to the young man
by relating all the details of a fight with a party of Indians.
As the darkness of the evening came on, Life ordered his men to
keep a sharp lookout on all sides, and suspended his thrilling
narratives that his own watchfulness might not be impaired. The
scouts were passing through what appeared to be a plantation,
though they could not yet see any buildings. Suddenly the light of a
fire flashed up at a considerable distance to the right of the scouts in
the road.
"A fire, Life!" shouted Deck, as he discovered the glare of the first
flame that rose in the darkness.
"Hush, little one!" interposed Knox. "Don't tell the neighbors about
it, for it might astonish them."
"I don't believe there are any neighbors very near us," replied Deck
in a low tone. "But there is something going on in this vicinity."
"We won't tell 'em, whoever's at work round here, that we are
coming. By the light of the fire I can see a mansion or farmhouse
over yonder."
As he spoke, the report of the half-a-dozen muskets, more or less,
that had attracted the attention of the main body of the squadron,
was heard, though the scouts were half a mile distant. The building
of the fire was possibly a signal for the discharge which had so soon
followed it; but no other connection could be suggested between
them.
"One man can always do better in lookin' inter things than a dozen,"
said Life, as he was trying to connect the fire and the firing in a
reasonable manner. "Ride over towards that fire, Deck, and see what
you can see."
"Be you uns soldiers, Mars'r?" asked a negro, coming out of a
cornfield at the side of the road, where the stalks had concealed his
coming.
"Of course we are, Cato," replied Deck, who was nearest to him.
"Who done tole you my name, Mars'r?" asked the negro, whose
surprise seemed to have driven everything else out of his head.
"I guessed at it. But what do you want? I told you we were soldiers,"
added Deck. "Do you come from that house beyond the cornfield?"
"Yes, Mars'r; but if you uns is soldiers, which side was you on?"
inquired Cato very cautiously.
"Not gone, Deck?" asked Knox, riding up to him.
"This contraband has just come out of the field, and belongs to the
house we saw in the distance. I thought he could tell me better than
I could see for myself what is going on here," replied Deck.
"You are right, Deck."
"But he wants to know which side we are on before he says
anything," added Deck.
"Then he is a sensible nigger. Of course we uns belong on the Union
side; and when you catch Life Knox on any other side, you'll catch a
coon asleep," replied the sergeant, decidedly enough to satisfy any
doubtful person. "What's gwine on at that fire, Minky?"
"Bress de Lod if you was Union sodgers! and my name is Cato!"
exclaimed the visitor, earnestly enough for a camp-meeting. "Dey is
a hull regiment of Sesh sodgers ober dar!" he added, pointing in the
direction from which the report of the firing had come.
Without waiting for any further information, Knox called Lane, one of
the scouts, and sent him back to report what the negro said to Major
Lyon. He was directed to move slowly after he had gone the eighth
of a mile; for the enemy were at some point on the right of the road,
and he would get a shot if he disturbed them.
"What are the Sesh soldiers here for, Cato?" asked Knox, as soon as
his messenger had gone.
"Gwine to burn de bridge ober dar," replied the man, pointing in the
direction in which the structure had been made out in the gloom of
the evening.
"Well, why don't they burn it, then?"
"Dey done got oder business at de mansion-house, sar."
"What other business have they got there?"
"I reckon de story's as long as Uncle Zeke's sarmints; but de fust
thing is, dey's gwine to hang Mars'r Barkland to one ob dem trees, if
he don't tell whar he hide his money," answered Cato, as he gave a
hurried glance at the fire.
"How many men are there at the house, or near it, Cato?" asked
Knox with deep interest.
"I done count six on 'em."
"Then we won't allow a Union man to be hung to a tree. Scouts,
attention, march!" called the sergeant hurriedly.
With this order, Life dashed into the cornfield, closely followed by
Deck and the others. The harvest had been gathered in the field,
and there was nothing but the stalks that remained to obstruct the
passage of the squad. The fire was at the edge of a grove, on
ground slightly elevated, and not far in the rear of the mansion,
which could now be distinctly seen. In approaching it, the
cavalrymen came to a spot less elevated than the grove, where Knox
halted to reconnoitre.
"There's a lot of the villains coming from the house!" exclaimed the
sergeant, as he brought his horse to a full stop all at once.
"They have about finished hanging Union men in our county," said
Deck, "and I don't believe they will hang this one here."
"You can bet your horse they won't," added Life. "They can't see us
yet, and I think we had better fix things a little before we begin
business."
"We obey orders, Sergeant. There's a knoll over on the right covered
over with trees."
"I was looking at that; and we will move over there, and take a
position behind it, where they can't see us," replied Knox, as he led
the way through a hollow, which brought the party to it.
The mansion-house was on the highest ground in the vicinity,
though it was not on a hill. The fire seemed to be plentifully supplied
with wood; for it burned brightly, and shed its light on the road
leading from the house to the grove. A group of men could be seen
approaching the elevation where the fire burned. They moved very
slowly, and appeared to have considerable trouble in making any
progress at all. There was a prisoner in the midst of the party, and
he was very unwilling to move in the direction indicated by his
oppressors.
While they were observing the spectacle, Cato joined them, for he
had followed the cavalrymen as rapidly as he could on foot. He
evidently belonged on the plantation, and knew all about the nature
of the affair in progress, though the sergeant was not disposed to
listen to a story as "long as Uncle Zeke's sermons."
"Do you know what those villains are doing there, Cato?" he asked,
when the negro had recovered his breath.
"Dey drag ole Mars'r Barkland ober to de tree, whar dey will hang
him," answered Cato promptly.
"Then your master has plenty of money?"
"I dunno, Mars'r; he neber tole me notin' about dat."
"I s'pose not. Are the men who came to the mansion in uniform,
Cato?"
"No, sar; no uniform but de rags dey wear. Cap'n Tites is out at bof
elbows, and a nigger'd be 'shamed to wear sich a coat."
"Did you hear what they said when they came to the house?"
"Hear ebery word dey say, Mars'r, 'cause I waits on de table when
dey done took supper."
"Then they had supper at the mansion?"
"Yes, sar; dey was all half-starbed, and dey eat more'n twenty men,
and done drink whiskey enough to float a canal-boat."
"Did that captain you spoke of drink whiskey, Cato?" asked Deck.
"He done drink more as all de rest on 'em. Mars'r Barkland willin' to
gib dem de supper and de whiskey, but he don't want to gib 'em any
money. Cap'n Tites tell him he done got million money; but mars'r
say he don't hab none. Den de cap'n say he hang 'im to a tree if he
don't gib up de money."
"That will do, Cato; I think I understand the matter now," said Knox,
as he changed his position so that he could get a better view of the
scene of action. "They have got nearly to the tree. It is about time
to make a move."
The sergeant questioned the negro in regard to the road which led
to the rear of the house, and some other matters relating to the
locality. Knox was a strategist in a small way, as he had been obliged
to be in defending himself from Indians and wild beasts. In a
moment he had his plan ready to put into operation.
"I count nine men there, taking in the planter," said he. "Cato says
there is a whole regiment camped in here somewhar. I don't believe
it, Deck; but we don't want to stir 'em up just yet. You will take
Owens and Fox, and ride round to that road Cato tells about, and I
will go in on this side. I'll do most of the job with my four; but I
don't want 'em to git off to their main body. Major Lyon'll tend to
them."
Deck started at once with his two followers, directed by Cato again;
and the negro went himself with all the speed of his legs. He came
to the road, which was simply a driveway over the plantation, and
soon reached the house. He was galloping his steed; but when he
came to the house he reined him in at the plaintive supplication of
an elderly woman and a young lady, whose face he could not see in
the gloom of the evening.
 CHAPTER VI
A VERY OBSTINATE PRISONER CAPTURED
Deck Lyon's horse had been one of his father's best stock, and he
had been selected by Levi Bedford, the overseer, for his use. He was
a very spirited animal, and not every young fellow of eighteen would
have felt at home in a saddle placed on his back. As the ladies from
the house rushed forward to intercept him, Ceph, which was his
abbreviated name, was startled, reared, and faced the music, as he
had been taught to do.
"I didn't mean to scare your horse, sir," said the elder of the ladies;
"but for the love of Heaven, can't you do something for my
husband?" demanded Mrs. Barkland, as she proved to be.
"Oh, save my father, if you can!" added the younger woman. "Oh,
my father! They are abusing him shamefully, and they have
threatened to hang him."
"That is the business in which I am engaged; and, if you will excuse
me, I will attend to it," replied Deck, as he gave Ceph the signal to
go ahead again with his legs.
"Do save him!" repeated the old lady, who wanted to talk some more
about the matter.
But the young cavalryman waited to hear no more; and his horse
went off at a dead run, the other two following him as rapidly as
their steeds would permit, and he was several rods ahead of them.
In a couple of minutes he had reached a point which commanded a
view of the place chosen for the spectacle. The actors had evidently
preferred to be at a distance from the mansion, where the women
could not interfere with them, the better to carry their point with the
owner of the plantation.
They had the intended victim with a rope around his neck, and there
could be no doubt in regard to their purpose. One man had the
other end of the line, and was climbing a tree with it, to pass it over
a branch. Five men were on the ground, and their attention had
already been attracted by the approach of the horsemen from the
direction of the house; and they did not appear to have observed
the others, with Knox at their head, for they had passed behind a
thicket of young trees on a knoll.
"Halt!" shouted one of the five men in a voice loud enough to be
heard half a mile. "If you come any nearer we will fire!"
"Fire away!" yelled Deck with all the force of his lungs.
But he reined in his steed; and Ceph obediently came to a full stop,
while he unslung his carbine, his companions doing the same
without any suggestion from him. They came up to him, and ranged
their horses at his side. The carbines were ready for use in a
moment, and all three of them were aimed at the five men
surrounding the planter. The actors in the tragedy very plainly did
not like this demonstration; for they did not fire, though all of them
had aimed at the intruders on this side of them. The distance was
still considerable, and probably they had no great faith in the arms in
their hands.
"Now we will go ahead, if you are ready, Fox and Owens," said Deck,
though he had no authority whatever to direct their movements.
The speed and sagacity of Ceph appeared to have placed him in
command of the little squad, for his horse always kept away ahead
of every other when he was permitted to do so. Deck was a brave
fellow; he seemed to have no idea of anything like fear when he was
required to face an enemy; but his father, who thought his son was
inclined to be reckless, had carefully instilled into his mind the
necessity of prudence.
Knox had said that he intended to do most of the work on the
present occasion; but just now it looked as though the whole of it
had fallen on Deck's party. It was possible that he and his men had
been entangled in the bushes and young trees, or had come to
some water they could not easily pass. Deck led the way, and his
companions kept close to him. The man in the tree had passed the
line over the branch, and thrown the end down to the others.
"Halt where you are!" shouted the man who had spoken before; and
this time his voice gave Deck a thrill which caused him to stop his
horse.
The two parties were not more than two hundred feet apart; and the
leader believed the speaker was his uncle, Captain Titus Lyon. This
gave him much to think of besides the identity of the commander of
the expedition upon which the squadron had fallen. It was evident to
him that the first work of the cavalry squadron raised at Riverlawn
was to be fighting the Home Guards, or "ruffians" as they had
hitherto been called.
Deck was annoyed and disconcerted at the discovery he had made,
and it checked his enthusiasm; for the quarrel with Uncle Titus,
which he insisted upon carrying to extremes, was in the family. The
forces at Riverlawn had defeated and driven off him and his
command three times, and it was an old story. He had hoped and
expected that the campaign would present the war in a new aspect.
It gave the young soldier his first lively impression of the results of
civil war. He was not at all inclined to shoot his father's brother;
though he was just as earnestly determined to do his whole duty to
his country, without regard to his relationship with any of the
combatants on the other side. They were there by their own choice,
and were responsible for the consequences.
With his carbine ready for instant use, Deck rode forward very
slowly; and, more than at any time before, he wished Knox would
arrive upon the scene of action. Captain Titus could now be clearly
identified; and he had evidently made up his mind to proceed with
the business in hand, as only three men had appeared so far to
interfere with the operation. He had turned his attention from the
intruders, and was talking to the unfortunate planter he had
captured in a brutal manner, and shaking his fist frequently in his
face.
"Stand by the rope!" called he to the other men. "The fellow is as
obstinate as a mule, and we must make an end of him."
"Aim at the men who are holding the rope," said Deck to his
companions, and the three carbines were promptly pointed at them.
"This thing has gone far enough!" continued he, addressing the
principal actor in the scene.
"Who are you?" demanded Captain Titus, stopping long enough in
his operation to examine the intruders.
"I don't want to shoot you, but if you proceed any farther with this
business we shall fire," replied Deck.
Captain Titus was plainly astonished, if not confounded, when he
recognized his nephew in the uniform of the cavalry. He did not like
the looks of the three carbines pointed at his men. But Deck felt
somewhat ashamed of the delay he had made in relieving the
terrified planter from the extremity to which he had been reduced,
and he decided to bring matters to a head at once. Starting his
horse, he dashed to the rope, and seized it with one hand.
"Fire at him!" yelled Captain Titus furiously, to two of the ruffians
with muskets in their hands.
One of them raised his weapon to aim at Deck, who instantly fired at
him. He dropped his gun upon the ground, and grasped his right
arm with the left hand. The other man then raised his musket; but
both of the other horsemen fired at him at the same instant, and he
dropped heavily on the sod.
The three cavalrymen reloaded their weapons, and were
immediately ready for the next move. The three men at the rope
seemed to be appalled at the fate of their associates, and released
their hold upon it. A moment later they began to skulk off in the
direction of the grove.
"Don't let them escape, Owens!" said Deck, to the one nearest to
him.
Both of them darted off at a gallop, and headed them off, driving
them back to the tree from which the rope was hanging. Again Deck
seized the line, and urged his horse up to the place where the
planter was standing. Reaching down from his seat in the saddle, he
cut the cords that bound the prisoner, and then directed him to
remove the rope from his neck.
"I owe my life to you, young man," said Mr. Barkland, panting with
emotion and excitement.
"I suppose you are a Union man, sir?" added Deck.
"I am; and that is the reason why I am subjected to this outrage,"
replied the intended victim.
"What brought you here, Deck Lyon? Who sent you here to interfere
with my business?" demanded Captain Titus, confronting his nephew
with a savage frown.
"We shall not allow any such business as this," answered Deck, who
was not at all inclined to parley with the captain of the late Home
Guards, now in the service of the Confederacy. "You and those with
you will consider yourselves as prisoners of war."
"Prisoners of war!" exclaimed Captain Titus. "I reckon we ain't
nothin' of the sort. Do you mean to take six on us with only three?"
"We shall not take the trouble to count your numbers. Mr. Barkland,
you can return to your house, for your wife and daughter are very
anxious about you. I hope you have not been injured, sir."
"Only in my nerves," replied the planter, as he started for his
mansion.
At this moment Knox and his three men dashed upon the scene, to
the great astonishment of Captain Titus.
"Well, Deck, is the business finished?" asked the sergeant, as he
reined up his steed. "We had to go about two miles to get here, and
that is what made it so late."
Deck reported what had happened so far. The man who had
dropped so heavily on the ground was not killed; but he was
bleeding from a wound in the side of the head, and the ball had only
stunned him. The other man, with a bullet through his arm, was
worse off.
"This man who is in command of the company is my uncle, Captain
Titus," said Deck in a low voice to the sergeant.
"What! Major Lyon's brother?" exclaimed Life. "I have heard all
about him, and he is a pesky troublesome fellow."
"I don't want anything more to do with him, Life, and I wish you
would dispose of him," added Deck.
"Do you want me to kill him? I can't do that; for"—
"Nothing of the sort!" interposed the nephew warmly. "Of course I
don't want you to do anything of the sort."
"We have six prisoners of war, and we will march them down to the
main body," added Knox.
The sergeant proceeded to form his prisoners in a single rank; but
Captain Titus appeared to have brought all his obstinacy and
unreasonableness with him, and he refused to take the place
assigned to him.
"Where are you going?" demanded the prisoner, as though he still
ruled the roost, as he had doubtless done in his company.
"None of your business where we are going," replied the sergeant.
"If you don't take your place I shall put you into it."
"This thing won't last long, for my company will take a hand in the
business in the morning, and a battalion of Texan cavalry will make
it warm for you."
"We are not talking about your company or any Texan cavalry. Will
you take your place in the line? That's the only question you have
got to settle," returned Knox.
"I won't take any place!" replied the captain with a volley of oaths.
"Swear not at all, my man," continued Life, as he seized the
rebellious prisoner by the back of his coat collar, lifted him clear of
the ground, and then brought him down in the place assigned to
him. "Stay there!"
"I won't stay there!" growled he, as he attempted to leave the spot.
But Knox seized hold of him again, lifted him up, and slapped him
down across the pommel of his saddle, face down.
"Any way you like, my man; but you are going with this crowd.
Forward, my men!" and he placed himself at the head of the squad,
and started in the direction of the road, in spite of the struggles of
the prisoner. But they had not reached the road where they had first
seen Cato, when the head of a column appeared in the act of
turning into the field, doubtless guided by Hart, the messenger who
had been sent to report to the major in command.
Knox halted his little force, and threw his prisoner on the ground
without any ceremony, ordering Owens to take charge of him. The
column consisted of only the first company, the other having been
sent to take another position. Captain Truman had been ordered to
hold himself in readiness to cut off the retreat to the westward of
the force which Lane had reported upon.
"What have you here?" asked Major Lyon, as he saw the six
prisoners in front of Knox's scouts.
"Prisoners, Major; and I am sorry to say that your brother is one of
them," replied the sergeant. "They were about to hang the planter,
Mr. Barkland, who lives in the mansion yonder; but we saved him,
and sent him home."
"My brother a prisoner!" exclaimed the major very sadly.
He gave the order to march, and the first company proceeded
towards the planter's mansion.
 CHAPTER VII
PREPARING FOR ACTIVE OPERATIONS
The discipline which Knox had administered to Captain Titus had
taken some of the obstinacy out of him, and he was willing to march
with the other prisoners. All of them had been engaged in the
"Battle of Riverlawn," as it was called, when the mob had been
driven away from the plantation. They were placed between a
couple of ranks of troopers, and no further attention was given to
them till the company halted, a short distance from the mansion.
It was the camp for the night; and the horses were picketed, the
tents pitched, and a cordon of sentinels stationed around the whole.
The prisoners were provided for as comfortably as the soldiers, and
the major had an opportunity to inquire into the situation. He had
reached the point to which he had been ordered. The region in the
vicinity of the railroad bridge had been examined by a large body of
scouts, and nothing like an enemy had been discovered. A trio of
negroes had been seen, and they were always ready to tell all they
knew to persons wearing the national uniform.
There was no military force near the bridge. After Knox had sent
back a messenger with the information obtained from Cato, that "a
whole regiment" was encamped at the right of the road, Major Lyon
had sent a couple of trusty men to examine the locality. These
soldiers had crept cautiously into the woods, and found the force
indicated; but it consisted of only a single company, as they could
see by the light of the camp-fires. They had no tents, and most of
the men were lying about on the ground.
It was now evident that this was Captain Titus's company. They
were encamped near the railroad; but there were no bridges of any
consequence near them, and they had doubtless postponed the
work of the expedition till the next morning. Though the major had
never even heard the name of Mr. Barkland, the planter, his brother
must have had some information in regard to him, or he would
hardly have visited his mansion and attempted to extort money from
him.
Major Lyon did not care to meet his brother, for his conduct had
been explained to him, and he was in a bad frame of mind even for
him; but he ordered Knox to bring another of the party engaged in
the outrage to his tent. He had selected one who appeared to be a
reasonable man, and his manner was quite different from that of the
captain. The major had seen him before, but he knew nothing about
him.
"Do you belong to the company encamped in the woods farther
down the road?" asked the major.
"How do you know there is any company there?" demanded the
fellow, who seemed to be somewhat surprised at the question.
"I ask questions, but I don't answer them," replied Major Lyon with a
smile.
"That's jest my case," replied the Home Guardsman with a capacious
grin. "I don't tell all I know every day 'n the week."
"You don't know so much that you couldn't tell it as often as that,"
added Captain Gordon, who was present at the interview, and
thought the major was more pleasant than the occasion required.
"But I know sunthin' you want to know," chuckled the man.
"Not at all; I know all about your company," said the major.
"Then what did you ask me if I belonged to it for?"
"Knox, this man thinks he knows too much, and you may take him
away," called the major to the sergeant, who stood at the door of
the tent.
"Oh, I'm willin' t' answer you," grinned the fellow. "I belong to that
company."
"What were you doing up here, then?"
"Cap'n Titus thought the man that lives on this plantation had more
money 'n he could manage, and he was willin' to help him take care
on't."
"In other words, you intended to rob him."
"I didn't intend nothin' o' the sort. I obey the orders of the cap'n. If
you want to know anything more about it, you'll have to ask him."
"Is your company the only body of troops about here?" asked the
major, to whom Knox had reported what Captain Titus said about
"Texan cavalry."
"You'll have to ask the cap'n about that; for he didn't tell me all he
know'd."
It was evident that the man knew nothing of any importance, and
the sergeant was directed to send him back to his quarters. At the
entrance to the tent a visitor was waiting, who proved to be Mr.
Barkland, and he was promptly admitted. He expressed his
obligations for the important service rendered to him, and
commended the energy of the young man who had been foremost in
saving him from the fatal rope.
"These ruffians must have known that you had your money
concealed in the house," suggested the major.
"I haven't any great amount in the house," replied Mr. Barkland. "I
have a bank account in Louisville, and I had some money in the
bank at Munfordville; but there are so many marauding parties
about in this section of the State, that I took out the little I had in
the latter, and had it in the house."
"Hardly a safe place in these troublous times," added Major Lyon.
"Safer than that bank, I thought," said the planter, "I am a Union
man before anything else just now; and I think some Secessionist
connected with the bank spread the news about that I had
withdrawn my money,—only about thirty-five hundred dollars,—and
the captain of this Home Guard had heard it."
"That was unfortunate."
"It would have been for me if your company had not come along.
About dark half a dozen of them came to the house, and wanted to
get some supper, which I was willing to give them; for I never turn
away any one who wants something to eat. The captain wanted
whiskey, and I gave it to him; but it seemed to make him crazy, for
he did not behave like a gentleman."
"That is apt to be the effect of whiskey," added the major, who was
thinking of its results in the case of his brother.
"Then they told me I had money in the house, or the captain did; for
none of the rest of them said anything. I replied that I had no
money for them; and then the captain became abusive, and
threatened me if I did not give it up," continued the planter. "As I
said, I am a Union man, and I decided to let them hang me to a
tree, as he threatened to do, rather than give up my money to a lot
of traitors, who would use it to assist in pulling down the
government I believe in. My wife and daughter begged me to give
up the money; but I was firm to the end, and even when the rope
was around my neck."
"Your fate would not have been an uncommon one with Union men,
unhappily," added the major.
"Could I see the young man that was foremost in saving me? I wish
to express my personal gratitude to him for the service; for he was a
brave fellow, and managed the affair well, or he would have failed.
The ruffians were six to three; but the young man hit in the right
place every time."
"Who was he, Knox?" asked the major of the sergeant, who had
listened to the narrative while standing at the entrance of the tent.
"It was Deck, Major," replied Knox, with a smile on his wiry face.
"Send for him."
Deck soon appeared in the tent; and the planter grasped his hand,
pouring out his thanks for what he had done. He desired to take him
to his mansion, that his wife and daughter might have an
opportunity to express their obligations to him; but Deck declined to
go.
"Now, Mr. Barkland, do you know of any other body of troops in this
vicinity?" asked the major, changing the subject of the conversation.
"Nothing within my own knowledge, Major Lyon," replied the planter.
"Captain Tites and his men"—
"Captain who?" interposed the major.
"Captain Tites; that is what the others called him, or, at least, the
name sounded like that."
"Very well, Mr. Barkland, go on," replied the chief of the squadron.
"They did not speak out very plainly; but they alluded to a body of
Texan Rangers, as they called them, as though they were
somewhere in this vicinity," the planter proceeded.
"That captain spoke of them since we took him," said Knox.
"I was just coming up to headquarters to report some information
obtained by Sergeant Decker at the road," interposed Deck. "He
stopped a negro on horse-back, who was going for a doctor. He said
there was a company of cavalry, or more of them, camped about
three miles on the road to Greensburg. He knew nothing at all about
them."
"It looks as though there was a considerable force in this vicinity,"
added the major.
"I have given you all the information in my power, Major Lyon, and I
will return to my house. If I can be of any service to you, call upon
me," said Mr. Barkland, as he took the hand of the commander.
He left the tent, and Deck soon followed him, leaving the major and
Captain Gordon alone. On the table in the centre of the tent was a
map, which these two officers had been consulting when the
guardsman was brought in. On it the major had made several
crosses with a red pencil, indicating the location of the railroad
bridge, which was believed to be the objective point of Captain
Titus's company, the camp of this force, the mansion of the planter;
and now he made another at the supposed location of the cavalry
camp of the enemy.
"There is a prospect of some fighting in this vicinity by to-morrow,"
said Captain Gordon, as he looked at the crosses on the map.
"Colonel Cosgrove rode over to Riverlawn yesterday to inform me
that Captain Titus's company had left the day before, at an early
hour in the morning, marching on the railroad. He had just obtained
some news, which he considered reliable, to the effect that an order
had come up for the destruction of the railroad bridges," added
Major Lyon, as he put his pencil point on the road. "It was
understood in Bowling Green that General Buell was about to send
troops to the southward, and this is an attempt to break up the
means of transportation by rail."
"If there are any Texan Rangers about here, they must have been
sent from some other point," said Captain Gordon. "But we know
where the enemy are, and that is half the battle under present
circumstances. The cavalry and the infantry of the enemy are at
least five miles apart."
"Captain Truman has the infantry where he can put his hands on
them in the morning. His orders are to send Lieutenant Gadbury to
the farther side of the railroad, with half his company, and station
the other half behind this knoll, so that neither of them can be seen
from the main road, and to have both forces in position before
daylight in the morning. Neither force is to attack till the enemy
begin operations upon the railroad."
"I wondered that you did not bag the whole of this company of
Home Guards while they were in camp," added the captain.
"Under the name by which we know them, I am not quite sure of
their status; and I prefer to have them make a beginning, which will
prove them to be the enemies of the government," replied the
major. "I gave Truman the most explicit orders, and I have no doubt
he will do his whole duty. It is a part of my purpose to have the
whole of Captain Titus's company captured."
The major put a good deal of stress on the name by which his
brother had been called, for he evidently did not like to pronounce
his real name.
"I think your plan of action will readily bring about such a result."
"I put a low estimate upon the fighting character of the enemy in
front of Truman; but I have stood up before them, though I believe
they are better armed now than when they attempted to capture
Riverlawn and Lyndhall. Your company will be held in reserve for the
Texans, if there prove to be any."
"I have no doubt, after all I have heard, that the information in
regard to them is correct," added the captain. "It appears from their
locality that they are likely to come to the railroad by the road which
passes Mr. Barkland's mansion."
The major and the captain arranged a plan for the reception of the
Rangers, and then stretched themselves on their camp-bed, to
obtain a little sleep before the exciting events which were expected
the next day. At about midnight the sentinel awoke them, saying
that the planter desired to see the commander. He was admitted,
and reported that two men had just been to his house to inquire for
"Captain Tites." One of them, he said, was Lieutenant Lagger, in
command of the company in the absence of the captain.
Major Lyon turned over and went to sleep again, satisfied that Buck
Lagger would begin operations in the morning.
 CHAPTER VIII
THE ACTION BY THE RAILROAD BRIDGE
It was hardly daylight the next morning when Major Lyon sprang
from his camp-bed. The first thing he recalled was the visit to his
tent in the night of Mr. Barkland. He thought it was rather strange
that Captain Titus had not brought his lieutenant, as it now
appeared that he was in reality, as he had been before only in
appearance; for he was a ruffian of the rudest stripe.
Three months before he had attempted to shoot Levi Bedford, the
major's faithful overseer, as he drove past his house; and he had
been his brother's principal supporter in the attacks of the mob upon
Riverlawn and Lyndhall. He was just the desperado for such work as
that in which the commander of the Home Guards had engaged the
evening before.
"Sentinel!" called the major to the guard at headquarters.
"Here, Major!" replied the soldier.
"Send for Dexter and Artemas Lyon. Have them report at
headquarters mounted," added the major, as he proceeded to
complete his simple toilet.
The "assembly" was not sounded that morning, lest the noise should
be heard in some other camp; but all the men had been called
verbally, and were getting ready for the business of the day. The
troopers assigned to that duty were watering the horses at a brook
which flowed through the plantation, and others were striking the
tents. A number of pickets on foot had patrolled the roads for a mile
from the camp, but there had been no alarm during the night. Deck
and Artie promptly reported at the major's tent as they had been
ordered to do.
"Good-morning, boys," said their father. "Do you know where the
railroad bridge over the creek is?"
"I do," replied Deck.
"I have a message for Captain Truman. You will find his company in
two divisions this morning, one on each side of the bridge, and both
of them are in concealment by this time in the morning. The captain
is behind the hill, just this side of the creek. Do you think you can
find him?"
"I know I can," replied Deck.
"You must remember that he is keeping his men out of sight. My
message is for him alone. He is not aware that Captain Titus and his
companions at the mansion were captured last night. Whether the
work will be carried on by his first lieutenant or not, I don't know.
This officer is Buck Lagger; and I know that he will be glad to get
the command of the company, even for a short time. I believe he
will begin the destruction of the bridge early this morning; for,
according to Levi Bedford, Buck believes he is a bigger man and an
abler captain than his superior officer."
"I have no doubt if there is any mischief to be done, Buck will do it
as soon as possible," added Deck.
"But if he fails to do so, tell Captain Truman to move over to the
camp they occupied last night, and to keep his eye on the company.
You will also inform him that there is a company of Texan cavalry in
camp about three miles to the south-east of us, and they will
probably be on the move this morning," continued Major Lyon.
"Texan cavalry!" exclaimed Deck.
"Music somewhere here to-day," added Artie with a smile.
"The first company will be between this enemy and the second
company, and you will tell Captain Truman to give no attention to
them. Now go as soon as possible," added the major; and the boys
started on their mission.
The horses were in excellent condition, and the boys were pleased
to have something to do that brought them out of the ranks for a
time. The section of country which one could take in from the hill on
which the mansion of the planter was located, included the railway
and two common roads. South of the railroad, and extending in the
same general direction, was the road by which the command had
marched from Riverlawn.
The camp of the Home Guards was at the south of it, and half a mile
from it; for it appeared to have been a part of the purpose of
Captain Titus to conceal his force. The half-dozen shots which had
been fired as the troopers passed came from a party of strollers, it
afterwards appeared; and Buck Lagger, in charge of the camp, had
not discovered the presence of the cavalry from Riverlawn.
At the point where Cato had been first seen, and who had given the
information in regard to the outrage at the mansion, the road to the
south branched off, or rather crossed the other at right angles. On
this one was the mansion of Mr. Barkland, and about three miles
farther south was the reported camp of the Texans. Deck had had
no opportunity to study the panorama of the region as it might be
seen in the daytime from the hill by the planter's house, for the
darkness shut off his view.
The camp of the first company was on the south road, and the boys
rode in the direction of the railroad bridge. The day was breaking in
the east, but it was not light enough to see distinctly the prominent
object in the vicinity. They could make out the hill where they
expected to find Captain Truman, but not the one on the other side
of the railroad.
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