reeze in the canteens
these December nights, and the rock tanks were nearly solid ice. Two
hours later while Harris, nervous, irritable, and filled with nameless
self-reproach, was pacing the narrow veranda at the doctor's quarters,
there was a stir at the southward end of the post, a sound of hoofbeats
and footfalls, a running to and fro and lighting up at the office. An
orderly came on the jump and banged at the adjutant's door, and Strong
shuffled forth in the moonlight and joined other dark forms over at
head-quarters. The sentries were calling the midnight hour without, and
the doctor was snoring placidly within. It was barely ten minutes
before Strong came back, in one of his hurries, and Harris hailed for
the tidings.

"Oh, _you'll_ be glad, I'm betting!" was the answer, half-rueful,
half-relieved, for somehow Strong had "taken to" the doctor's
guest--and to doubting his own. "Those galoots at McDowell let up on
their watch, and 'Tonio's walked off--'gone where the woodbine
twineth'--'Patchie Sanchez with him!"

CHAPTER XXIV.

That meant new trouble--trouble for Major Brown commanding the little
two-company station--the "tuppenny post," his subaltern, Blake,
derisively termed it--trouble for Blake, who was officer of the day,
and was held on tenterhooks for many a day thereafter--trouble for
Sergeant Collins, who was directly in command of the guard--"Collins
_ne_ Oolahan," as Freeman wrote him down, it having been discovered
that this versatile Celt had served a previous enlistment in the "Lost
and Strayed," when four of its companies were pioneering shortly after
the war, where even the paymaster couldn't find them. Such of them as
could be found in course of years were gathered up and sent to San
Francisco for further exploration in other desert lands, but Oolahan
and four of his fellows of Company "A," not having returned from wagon
escort duty, were finally dropped as dead or deserted (those were days
wherein nobody much cared which), whereas they were merely drunk at
Cerbat. Under other names, as orthodox as the originals, they were now
doing valorous and valuable service in other commands, Collins in
particular proving a capital fighter and trooper, to the end that the
best interests of the service were subserved by keeping a keen eye on
his present and a "Nelson blind" on his past. Of the three soldiers
thus involved at McDowell, Collins was the one who took it most to
heart, for Collins had c