looked about. His eyes rested on the dead bodies.

"Looks like Alexis had been here," he muttered, for he had not yet seen
the giant.

Alexis heard him and his face glowed with pleasure.

"He is here," he said, stepping forward.

Chester's face lighted up.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed. "It is good to see you. We have wished several
times in the last hour that you were with us. We needed you badly.
However, you arrived just in time."

Alexis blushed like a schoolboy, for he was not used to hearing others
praise his prowess.

"Yes, I did arrive in the nick of time," he said awkwardly. "But come,
we must get away from here."

"Have you learned the strength of the enemy in the mountains?" asked Hal
a few minutes later, as they rode along down the pass.

"I learned enough to make sure that, without infantry and artillery
support, the cavalry will probably be annihilated," replied Alexis
briefly. "By a dash, we might be able to reach the plains of Hungary,
but without support we should end our days there. I shall counsel
retreat."

"But I thought you would never counsel retreat?" said Hal, smiling.

"For myself, never!" replied the giant. "But there are more lives than
mine depending upon this. Therefore I say retreat."

Alexis was as good as his word. Upon their return to the main column,
Alexis was called into consultation with the commanding officer. He
recounted what he had learned, and urged that the retreat be begun at
once.

"There are half a million men in these hills," he informed his
commander, "and they are trying to draw us on. We will be allowed to go
so far, and then they will close in on us. One hundred or two hundred
thousand, I don't mind. We could whip them with ease; but half a million
are too many for sixty thousand. If we had not outdistanced our infantry
and artillery, we might do it, but without them, no."

"Still," said the commanding officer, "I have set my heart on striking
one more blow at the enemy. Would you counsel against it?"

"I am always in favor of striking one more blow at the enemy," replied
Alexis. "I suppose I should counsel against it, but I will not."

"Good!" exclaimed his commander. "One decisive blow to the enemy in the
hills, and then we shall fall back into Galicia. Now, where are the
Austrians massed?"

"It will be extremely hazardous," said Alexis slowly, "but I guess it
can be done. Fifteen miles straight along this mountain pass you come to
a small plateau. I