CADMUS HENRY, mounted on one of the finest mares in Virginia and perfectly turned out from the top of his proudly held head to the toes of his shiny, made-to-order boots, dreamed of himself charging intrepidly into battle under orders of General Lee himself.

But, unfortunately, young Cadmus Henry could write legibly, so he was assigned to make endless copies of reports on the progress of the Confederate troops during the Peninsula Campaign. An unexpected chance to volunteer for special scout duty seemed to offer renewed hope for valorous exploits—until Cadmus Henry found that, instead of riding into battle, he was expected to float over the enemy lines in a balloon!

But, in spite of his mortification over his odd assignment, Cadmus Henry had plenty of opportunity to prove his courage and resourcefulness, especially when his lumbering aircraft, Pizzini, a much-patched, ex-stunt balloon, broke loose and floated far afield. From then on many curious things happened to Cadmus Henry, most of all to his outlook on life and the faithful, plodding foot soldiers in it. This change began while he drifted helplessly back and forth over the lines of the North and the South, which somehow looked so much alike from his lofty position. The strange, fearless girl who rescued him had something to do with it and so did the two loyal Negroes who were part of the ground crew for Pizzini but preferred a fine horse, too.

An exciting, beautifully written story, with moments that will move you deeply and a delightful undercurrent of humor.

Manning de V. Lee has exactly caught the high spirit of the story in his many fine drawings.

For anyone from high school up.

From the dust jacket