ke a fire across the country
these men had been carrying in their minds--rather, in their
hearts--pictures that started them up in their beds at night broad awake
and all in a cold sweat.

The Superintendent lowered his voice. The men leaned forward to listen.
He had only a single word to say, a short sharp word it was--

"Who will join me?"

It was as if his question had released a spring drawn to its limit. From
twenty different throats in twenty different tones, but with a single
throbbing impulse, came the response, swift, full-throated, savage,
"Me!" "I!" "Here you are!" "You bet!" "Count me!" "Rather!" and in three
minutes Superintendent Strong had secured the nucleus of his famous
scouts.

"To-morrow at nine at the Barracks!" said this grim and laconic
Superintendent, and was about turning away when a man came out from the
door of the Royal Hotel, drawn forth by that sudden savage yell.

"Hello, Cameron!" said the Superintendent, as the man moved toward the
sad-appearing broncho, "I want you."

"All right, sir. I am with you," was the reply as Cameron swung on to
his horse. "Wake up, Ginger!" he said to his horse, touching him with
his heel. Ginger woke up with an indignant snort and forthwith fell into
line with the Superintendent's big brown horse.

The Superintendent was silent till the Barracks were gained, then,
giving the horses into the care of an orderly, he led Cameron into the
office and after they had settled themselves before the fire he began
without preliminaries.

"Cameron, I am more anxious than I can say about the situation here in
this part of the country. I have been away from the center of things for
some months and I have lost touch. I want you to let me know just what
is doing from our side."

"I do not know much, sir," replied Cameron. "I, too, have just come in
from a long parley with Crowfoot and his Chiefs."

"Ah, by the way, how is the old boy?" inquired the Superintendent. "Will
he stick by us?"

"At present he is very loyal, sir,--too loyal almost," said Cameron in
a doubtful tone. "Duck Lake sent some of his young men off their heads a
bit, and Frog Lake even more. The Sarcees went wild over Frog Lake, you
know."

"Oh, I don't worry about the Sarcees so much. What of Crowfoot?"

"Well, he has managed to hold down his younger Chiefs so far. He made
light of the Frog Lake affair, but he was most anxious to get from
me the fullest particulars of the Duck Lake fight. He