moment? Any hour may bring my marching orders."

She drew back, just a little. This was only the evening after his
return with the wounded. "You always welcome field orders," she
ventured.

"I always have--hitherto."

The voice of Mrs. Archer was uplifted at this juncture, just a bit.
"Lilian, dear, you and Mr. Willett would be wise to pull your chairs
this way. I've never liked that corner since 'Tonio's discovery. Where
_is_ 'Tonio, Mr. Willett?"

"I wish I knew, Mrs. Archer," said Willett, rising and holding forth a
hand to aid Miss Archer to her feet--something she did not need, yet
took. "He was with Stannard when I left. He was with him when they
rescued Mrs. Bennett. He was said to be all distress when he saw that
Harris was hit--and then he disappeared. Stannard's last despatch said
he had not rejoined."

It was another beautiful, moonlit evening, and the post was very still.
The men of Archer's two infantry companies were clustered about their
log barracks or wandering away by twos and threes to the trader's store
on the flats. The general was pacing the parade in earnest and murmured
talk with the post adjutant. Bentley, the surgeon, was busy with his
charges, having left Harris in a fitful, feverish doze. Not since the
night of the calamity at Bennett's had the sentries reported sign of
signal fire in the hills, but this night, before the last filament of
gold had died at the top of the peak, Number Four had caught a glimpse
of a tiny blaze afar over to the east, and instantly passed the word.
Only half an hour it was observed, and then, away toward the
south-east, an answering gleam burned for a moment against the black
background of the Sierras. Then both went out as suddenly as they
started.

The general was dining at the moment, and, believing that the fires
would not so soon be extinguished, the officer of the day had not at
once reported them. He was at Archer's door as the veteran came forth,
haranguing Willett, again his guest at dinner, but with anxious eyes
turned at once to hear the report. "No matter what time it happens," he
said, "hereafter, when signals are seen, let the guard notify me at
once." And the officer retired musing over this bit of evidence that
the commanding officer was growing a trifle irritable.

It was soon after guard mount next day that two runners from Sandy had
come in, weary and hungry. "'Patchie sign--_todas partes_," said the
leader, after delivering his despatc