e who lived here in the canyon could not as yet understand the
nature of the thin blue veil which today obscured their scanty
sunlight, did not know that each minute of day was destroying trees
which had cost a thousand years to grow, which never in the knowledge
of man might be replaced. But when the party of Major Barnes came down
from Sim Gage's ranch, questions were answered. The forest had been
fired again. The soldiers swore the silent soldier oath of revenge.

Doctor Barnes did not pause even to help the women out of the car. He
hurried to the long, screened gallery in front of the residence and
office of Waldhorn, chief engineer.

Waldhorn met him at the door, well-fed, suave, polite, a burly man,
well-clad and bearing the marks of alertness and success. Always of
few words, he scarcely more than spoke at present, his mildly elevated
eyebrows making inquiry of the dusty man before him.

"Yes, Doctor, or--ah, Major?" he said, smilingly, insulting.

"Call it Major!" snapped Barnes. "I've come to tell you that I want
your house."

"Yes? When?"

"In two minutes."

"Why?"

"I want it for Government uses. A patient of mine has come down here
to stay a while--wife of one of my scouts."

"Well, now, my dear Major, I would not like to interfere with your
private graft in the practice of medicine in any way. But I'm engineer
in charge of this work, I fancy."

"Fancy something else while the fancying's good. Go on over to that
little log house, Waldhorn. You'll live there until we send you out."

"Send me out! What do you mean, sir?"

"This camp is under martial law. You're under arrest, if you like to
call it that way."

"You're going to arrest me? Why--what do you mean?"

"Call it what you like. But move, now, and don't waste my time."

"I beg pardon," drawled Waldhorn, smiling with a well-concealed sneer,
"but isn't this a trifle sudden? I'm willing to give up my place to
the ladies, of course, my dear Major, but I must ask some sort of
explanation as to this other procedure. Martial law? What is your
authority?"

"Call it Jehovah and the Continental Congress, my dear chap," said
Doctor Barnes, likewise drawling. "I'll take that up after a while.
I'm in charge here. If you go over there quietly to that other house
it may look like an act of courtesy. If you don't--it might be called
an act of God. Come, hurry--I can't talk here any longer."

Waldhorn saw two troopers coming at