rnal darkness
on ahead. "Good Lord, what a place to live!" he muttered.

They crept on cautiously until they were within sight of the camp. A large
fire was burning briskly. Most of the men were wrapped in their blankets,
apparently asleep; three were sitting upright, on guard. Mercer and Anina
crept away.

"We'd better camp, too," Mercer said when they were well out of hearing.
"They will probably stay there four or five hours, anyway. Lord, I'm
tired." He laid his hand on her shoulder gently, almost timidly. "Aren't
you tired, too, little girl?"

"Yes," she answered simply, and met his eyes with her gentle little smile.
"Oh, yes--I tired. Very much."

They did not dare light a fire, nor had they any means of doing so. They
went back from the trail a short distance, finding a little recess between
two fallen logs, where the ground was soft with a heavy moss. Here they
decided to sleep for a few hours.

A small pool of water had collected on a barren surface of rock near by,
and from this they drank. Then they sat down, together and ate about half
the few remaining pieces of bread which Mercer was carrying in the pockets
of his jacket. They were both tired out. Anina particularly was very
sleepy.

When they had finished eating Anina lay down, and Mercer covered her with
the blanket. She smiled up at him.

"Good night, Anina."

"Good night, my friend Ollie."

She closed her eyes, snuggling closer under the blanket with a contented
little sigh. Mercer put on his jacket and sat down beside her, his chin
cupped in his hand. It seemed colder now. His trousers were thin, his legs
felt numb and stiff from his recent exertion.

He sat quiet, staring at the sleeping girl. She was very beautiful and
very sweet, lying there with her golden hair framing her face, her little
head pillowed on her arms, a portion of one blue-feathered wing peeping
out from under the blanket. All at once Mercer bent over and kissed her
lightly, brushing her lips with his, as one kisses a sleeping child.

She stirred, then opened her eyes and smiled up at him again.

"You cold, Ollie," she said accusingly. She lifted an edge of the blanket.
"Here--you sleep, too."

He stretched himself beside her, and she flung a corner of the blanket
over him; and thus, like two children lost in the woods and huddled
together for warmth under a fallen log, they slept.

CHAPTER XXI.

ANOTHER LIGHT-RAY!

The news that Mercer and Anina had bee