wonder what ever made him do it."

Fired with the idea of showing Dodds that the attacking party had
received a valuable reinforcement, Hal threw himself with ardour into
the fight, and--Drusie having resigned her post as captain in his
favour--led sally after sally against the fort. But the aim of the
lassos was so deadly, and the hailstorm of bullets so incessant, that
time after time they were obliged to retire.

Once Drusie, who had wriggled herself through the thick hawthorns at
the back of the fort, was within an ace of taking the flag; but, just
as she had climbed up on the roof, the defender, whose face was
completely hidden by his helmet, made a grab at her, and she was
obliged to fly for her life.

"We must alter our tactics," Hal said, as, hot and exhausted from the
prolonged struggle, he withdrew his little army into the recesses of
the Wilderness. "We are not a bit nearer taking the fort than when we
started."

"Not so near," said Helen; "for our ammunition is giving out. We have
only about twenty or thirty balls left. This is quite the hardest
fight that we have ever had."

"We must get the fort," Hal said, setting his teeth. "We are four to
one, and it will be a great disgrace to us if we don't."

"But that one is such a one," Drusie said.

"I told you Dodds was a splendid fellow, didn't I?" said Hal eagerly.
"But, all the same, I wish he was not quite as splendid now. But
listen; I have got a glorious plan in my head, if we can only carry it
out."

But at that moment he was interrupted by a loud, piercing scream, which
was followed by another and another; and, glancing hastily round, Hal
saw that Tommy was missing from the council.

"He was with us only a minute ago," Drusie exclaimed.

Springing to their feet, they all rushed out, and there they saw Tommy,
bound and helpless, being hauled rapidly up to the very walls of the
fort.

He had brought his sad fate upon himself. As he was following the
others into camp, he had seen the enemy spring out of the fort and run
into the bushes, and, quick as thought, Tommy had darted off to capture
the flag during his absence. Had he only reported what he had seen to
his commander, a proper attack might have been hastily organized and
the fort captured; but Tommy was in such a hurry, and so anxious to
gain all the glory for himself, that he slipped off without saying a
word to the others. And when it was too late he found that the
desertion