"See a bear on one of the hills?" said Drummond sharply.

"No; I was watching that fir-wood right away there in the hollow. Are
they patches of snow I can see in there among the trees?"

"Where--where?" cried Drummond excitedly.

"Come and look. The glass is set right, and you can see the exact spot
without touching it."

Bracy made way, and Roberts stepped to the other side of the tower and
looked over the wide interval to where their visitors of the morning
were forming a kind of camp, as if they meant to stay.

"Phee-ew!"

Drummond gave a long, low whistle.

"Snow?" said Bracy.

"No snow there; at this time of year. That's where some of the enemy
are, then--some of those who disappeared so suddenly yesterday. Those
are their white gowns you can see, and there's a tremendous nest of
them."

"Enemies of our visitors this morning?"

"They said so," replied Drummond, with a mocking laugh; "but it seems
rather rum for them to come and camp so near one another, and neither
party to know. Doesn't it to you?"

"Exactly," cried Bracy. "They would be sure to be aware, of course."

"Yes, of course. What idiots they must think us! I'd bet a penny that
if we sent out scouts they'd find some more of the beauties creeping
down the valleys. Well, it's a great comfort to know that this lot on
the slope here are friends."

"Which you mean to be sarcastic?" said Bracy.

"Which I just do. I say, I'm glad I brought you up here, and that you
spied out that party yonder. Come away down, and let's tell the
Colonel. He'll alter his opinion then."

"And send out a few scouts?" said Bracy.

Drummond shook his head.

"Doesn't do to send out scouts here."

"Why?"

"They don't come back again."

"Get picked off?"

"Yes--by the beggars who lie about among the stones. We have to make
sallies in force when we go from behind these walls. But, I say, you
two haven't had much fighting, I suppose?"

"None, till the bit of a brush as we came here."

"Like it?"

"Don't know," said Bracy. "It's very exciting."

"Oh, yes, it's exciting enough. We've had it pretty warm here, I can
tell you. I begin to like it now."

"You do?"

"Yes; when I get warm. Not at first, because one's always thinking
about whether the next bullet will hit you--'specially when the poor
fellows get dropping about you; but you soon get warm. It makes you
savage to see men you know going down without being able to get a shot
in