s come. There are as yet no orders, and may not be."

"Then I must get under way alone," almost moaned Darrin. "You, too,
Prescott, if you can get leave by 'phone from your commander."

"You can't get an auto," replied Captain Foster. "You'll have to walk,
or go in saddle. Either course will take you nearly all of the night."

"But one of your boats, sir?" cried Prescott.

"You're an officer, Prescott, and you must realize that I can't legally
release one of my boats from the duty here without an order or
permission."

"And all the time Belle and Laura may be trying to hide from a
blood-thirsty mob!" gasped Darrin in a frenzy.

"You stay here, Dick," broke in Greg Holmes. "I'll run to the nearest
'phone, get Captain Cortland at the other end of the wire, explain the
situation to him and get leave to absent ourselves."

"But even at the best it will take hours to reach Holmesville," muttered
Prescott, through blanched lips. "Oh, Dave, Dave, this is awful!"

"We'll get there, somehow--at least I will," muttered Ensign Darrin, in
a quivering voice. "If you don't get leave within ten minutes, Dick, I'm
going to start alone and try to run all the way to Holmesville. Captain
Foster, you'll loan me a revolver and two boxes of cartridges, won't
you?"

"Certainly," replied Foster, going into his tent and coming out with the
articles named.

"I would like to make a suggestion, sir," broke in Lieutenant Hal.

"Go ahead, Mr. Overton," responded the captain.

"Why not send two men at once to the telegraph station? Order the
telegraph office manager to remain open all night for military
telegrams. If one comes, one of our men can start here at once on the
run, leaving the other soldier to wait for a second despatch that may
come in its wake."

"An excellent idea, Mr. Overton," and Captain Foster immediately sent
two soldiers off on that errand.

"Sir, I request permission, if it can possibly be granted, to go with
Darrin, Prescott and Holmes," broke in Lieutenant Noll.

"You may have that leave, certainly, Mr. Terry," replied Captain Foster.

"And I, also, Captain," broke in Hal eagerly, "since this affair
involves the lives of the intended brides of two officers, and is most
certainly a service affair."

"I fear you have forgotten something, Mr. Overton," replied Captain
Foster gently. "You are now confined to camp, under charges."

Hal fell back, going suddenly white and staggering as though he had
received a