into restless motion by the torturing tension of anxiety, she paced the
loose boards like a tigress, up and down, head lowered, hands clasped
against her mouth, worrying the fingers with the edge of her teeth.

Outside, through the dirty window glass, she could see sentries in the
bushes, all looking steadily in the same direction; groups of officers
under the trees still focused their glasses on the pass. By and by she
saw some riflemen in butternut jeans climb into trees, rifles slung
across their backs, and disappear far up in the foliage, still climbing.

Toward five o'clock, as she was eating the bacon and hoe cakes which she
had found in the hut, two infantry officers opened the door, stared at
her, then, without ceremony, drew a rough ladder from the corner, set
it outside, and the older officer climbed to the roof.

She heard him call down to the lieutenant below:

"No use; I can't see any better up here.... They ought to set a signal
man on that rock, yonder!"

Other officers came over; one or two spoke respectfully to her, but she
did not answer. Finally they all cleared out; and she dragged a bench to
the back door, which swung open a little way, and, alert against
surprise, very cautiously drew from the inner pocket her linen contour
map and studied it, glancing every second or two out through the crack
in the door.

Nobody disturbed her; with hesitating forefinger she traced out what
pretended to be a path dominating the northern entrance of the pass,
counted the watercourses and gullies crossing the ascent, tried to fix
the elevations in her mind.

As long as she dared she studied the soiled map, but, presently, a quick
shadow fell across the threshold, and she thrust the map into the
concealed pocket and sprang to open the door.

"Coming military events cast foreboding shadows," she said, somewhat
breathless.

"Am I a foreboding and military event?" asked the youthful major,
laughing. "What do I threaten, please?"

"Single combat," she said demurely, smiling at him under half-veiled
lids. And the same little thrill passed through him again, and the quick
color rose to his smooth, sunburnt face.

"I was ready to beat a retreat on sight," he said; "now I surrender."

"I make no prisoners," she replied in airy disdain.

"You give no quarter?"

"None.... Why did you come back?"

"You said I might."

"Did I? I had quite forgotten what I had said to you. When are you going
to let me go?"