th of the Sierra, far to the south-east,
and would never stop till it reached Sonora and Chihuahua, that the
white chief had ordered his soldiers to kill, so they might as well die
fighting.

"If they were to concentrate now, first on Stannard, and then on
Turner," said Archer--"ambuscade them in a canon, say--I'm afraid we'd
see few of their fellows again."

"Or if they only knew their strength," spoke up the only captain left
at the post, "and were to concentrate, say, five hundred fighting men
upon us here, it's little the rest of the world would ever see of
_us_."

Archer turned half-angrily upon the speaker. "You never yet, Captain
Bonner, have heard of Apaches attacking a garrisoned post, even though
the garrison was smaller than ours, and I believe you never will. The
question _I_ have to settle is how to send warning to our two field
columns."

For a moment there was none to offer suggestion. There were present
only seven officers, all told, Bentley being still with his young
patient. Anxious eyes were watching the little group, their white coats
gleaming in the moonlight. Over at the barracks a score of soldiers,
slipping from their bunks, clustered at the wide-open doors and
windows. Over at the hospital two or three convalescents, with the
steward and the nurse, sat gazing from the shaded piazza. Over at the
commander's quarters Mrs. Archer, Mrs. Stannard and Lilian, sitting
closer for comfort, murmured occasional words, but their eyes seldom
quit their anxious scrutiny. To Mrs. Stannard it was no novel
experience. To Mrs. Archer and her daughter, despite their longer years
in the army, it was thrillingly new. In the utter silence on the line
and throughout the garrison the rhythmic tramp of feet, muffled by
distance, could not fail to catch their straining ears, and far over
across the parade, behind the barracks, betrayed by the glint of the
moonlight on sloping steel, a shadowy little detachment went striding
away toward the nearest sentry post.

"They are doubling the guard," said Mrs. Stannard. Then the group at
the flagstaff broke up. Three officers went with the commander toward
the office, others toward the company quarters. One came swiftly,
purposely, toward the waiting trio. Lilian knew it was Willett even
before they could recognize his walk and carriage. Mrs. Archer rose to
meet him. All they yet knew was that 'Tonio was in with tidings of some
kind--Doyle had told them that.

"Tell us w