them,
were you not?"

Even in the pallid light Armitage could see the hesitation, the flurry
of surprise and distress, in the sergeant's face.

"Don't fear to tell me, man: I would rather hear it than any news you
could give me. I would rather know you were _not_ Sergeant McLeod than
any fact you could tell. Speak low, man, but tell me here and now.
Whatever motive you may have had for this disguise, whatever anger or
sorrows in the past, you must sink them now to save the honor of the
woman your madness has perilled. Answer me, for your sister's sake: are
you not Fred Renwick?"

"Do you swear to me she is in danger?"

"By all that's sacred; and you ought to know it."

"I _am_ Fred Renwick. Now what can I do?"

XVIII.

The sun is not an hour high, but the bivouac at the springs is far
behind. With advance-guard and flankers well out, the regiment is
tramping its way, full of eagerness and spirit. The men can hardly
refrain from bursting into song, but, although at "route step," the fact
that Indian scouts have already been sighted scurrying from bluff to
bluff is sufficient to warn all hands to be silent and alert. Wilton
with his company is on the dangerous flank, and guards it well. Armitage
with Company B covers the advance, and his men are strung out in long
skirmish-line across the trail wherever the ground is sufficiently open
to admit of deployment. Where it is not, they spring ahead and explore
every point where Indian may lurk, and render ambuscade of the main
column impossible. With Armitage is McLeod, the cavalry sergeant who
made the night ride with the scout who bore the despatches. The scout
has galloped on towards the railway with news of the rescue, the
sergeant guides the infantry reinforcement. Observant men have noted
that Armitage and the sergeant have had a vast deal to say to each other
during the chill hours of the early morn. Others have noted that at the
first brief halt the captain rode back, called Colonel Maynard to one
side, and spoke to him in low tones. The colonel was seen to start with
astonishment. Then he said a few words to his second in command, and
rode forward with Armitage to join the advance. When the regiment moved
on again and the head of column hove in sight of the skirmishers, they
saw that the colonel, Armitage, and the sergeant of cavalry were riding
side by side, and that the officers were paying close attention to all
the dragoon was saying. All were eag