s saying. "You
have your letter for Captain Turner?--and Woodrow is to follow Captain
Stannard? Good again! Do most of your trailing by night. The Apaches
are cowards in the dark, and you can't miss the trail. God be with you,
my men! Your names go to General Crook in my first report!"

Another moment and they were away, and two more had taken their
place--two who waited while Mrs. Stannard pencilled a few hurried words
to her "Luce," while Lilian, with a world of rapture, thanksgiving and
rejoicing in her heart, was striving to regain self-control, and avoid
her mother's eye, a thing she never before had done, nor would she now
be doing but for that splendid, knightly, heroic, self-poised,
soldierly fellow, standing so commandingly, gracefully there,
conferring one minute with her soldier father, and the next--helping
Mrs. Archer to more small talk and sangaree.

CHAPTER X.

The night had gone by without alarm. No further signals were seen. No
runners came in. Poor Mrs. Bennett, under the influence of some
soothing medicine, had fallen asleep. The doctor, coming in late from a
visit to the hospital, found Harris still wakeful, but not so feverish,
and 'Tonio, worn and wearied, stretched on a Navajo blanket, seemed
sleeping soundly on the side piazza, just without the door. The general
and Willett had sat and smoked, with an occasional toddy, until after
the midnight call of the sentries, the former still expectant of the
return of Sanchez; the latter pondering in mind certain theories of
Wickham as to the Apache situation, to which at first he had paid
little heed. If Wickham were right, then Sanchez might never have
reached Prescott. If so, the general need never have to amend that
report.

And that the matter troubled Archer more than a little Willett was not
too pleased to see. Moreover, it was evident that not only Bentley, the
surgeon, but Strong, the young adjutant, Bucketts, the veteran cavalry
subaltern doing duty as post quartermaster, and the three company
officers of Archer's regiment stationed at Almy--all were determined to
consider Harris decidedly in the light of the hero of the recent
episode. It was a matter Willett would not discuss with them, nor, when
they somewhat pointedly referred to Harris and his part in the affair,
was it Willett's policy to say aught in deprecation. As "the
representative of the commanding general" temporarily at the post, and
observing the condition of affairs,