er bedroom, was heard
uplifting a shrill, raucous voice at the back of the house, ordering
dinner to be ready for two. When the vehicle came rattling up to the
door Sancho stood at his threshold, the old lorgnette in hand, bowing
profoundly as two travelers, officers of the army apparently, emerged in
their dusters and stiffly alighted.

"Have any letters or dispatches been left here for me?" asked in quiet
tone the elder of the two, limping slightly as he advanced, leaving to
his comrade the responsibility of seeing that none of their luggage had
been jolted out of the rickety vehicle. One or two hangers-on came
languidly, yet inquisitively, within earshot.

For answer the ranch-keeper, with another elaborate bow, produced a
bulky official envelope. The officer hastily glanced at the
superscription, said "This is for me," strode within the adobe-walled
corral, halted under a screen of brown canvas, and there tore open the
packet. Several personal letters fell to the ground, but he at first
paid little heed to them. Rapidly his eyes ran over a sheet of
closely-written matter, then he turned to the silent and ceremonious
ranchman.

"When did this come?" he asked.

"At sunset yesterday, Senor Comandante."

"Where's the courier?"

"He returned before dawn to-day."

The loungers drew still nearer as the senior calmly turned to his
companion, who, having assured himself that their _impedimenta_ were all
safe, came with quick, springy step to join him.

"Where do you suppose Blake and his detachment to be at this moment,
Loring?"

"Perhaps thirty miles ahead, sir; over toward Maricopa. Do you need him,
colonel?"

"Yes, and at once. Our bird has flown. In other words, Nevins has
skipped."

CHAPTER II.

Just what an officer's actual rank might be in the days that followed
close on the heels of the war was a matter no man could tell from either
his dress or address. Few indeed were they who escaped the deluge of
brevets that poured over the army and soaked some men six deep. There
were well-authenticated cases of well-preserved persons who had never so
much as seen a battle, and were yet, on one pretext or another,
brevetted away up among the stars for "faithful and meritorious
services" recruiting, mustering or disbursing. We had colonels by title
whose functions were purely those of the file-closer. We had generals by
brevet who had never set squadron in the field and didn't know the
difference betwee