chers tried to run 'em out. Some of our teamsters were armed, and
one of the Craigmiles men was killed or wounded--we don't know which:
the others picked him up and carried him off."

Ballard's eyes narrowed under his thoughtful frown.

"I've been afraid it would come to that, sooner or later," he said
slowly. Then he added: "We ought to be able to stop it. The colonel
seems to deprecate the scrapping part of it as much as we do."

Fitzpatrick's exclamation was of impatient disbelief. "Any time he'll
hold up his little finger, Mr. Ballard, this monkey-business will go out
like a squib fuse in a wet hole! He isn't wanting to stop it."

Ballard became reflective again, and hazarded another guess.

"Perhaps the object-lesson of this morning will have a good effect. A
chance shot has figured as a peacemaker before this."

"Don't you believe it's going to work that way this time!" was the
earnest protest. "If the Craigmiles outfit doesn't whirl in and shoot up
this camp before to-morrow morning, I'm missing my guess."

Ballard rapped the ashes from his briar, and refilled and lighted it.
When the tobacco was glowing in the bowl, he said, quite decisively: "In
that case, we'll try to give them what they are needing. Are you
picketed?"

"No."

"See to it at once. Make a corral of the wagons and scrapers and get the
stock inside of it. Then put out a line of sentries, with relays to
relieve the men every two hours. We needn't be taken by surprise,
whatever happens."

Fitzpatrick jerked a thumb toward the outer room where Bigelow was
smoking his after-supper pipe.

"How about your friend?" he asked.

At the query Ballard realised that the presence of the Forest Service
man was rather unfortunate. Constructively his own guest, Bigelow was
really the guest of Colonel Craigmiles; and the position of a neutral in
any war is always a difficult one.

"Mr. Bigelow is a member of the house-party at Castle 'Cadia," he said,
in reply to the contractor's doubtful question. "But I can answer for
his discretion. I'll tell him what he ought to know, and he may do as he
pleases."

Following out the pointing of his own suggestion, Ballard gave Bigelow a
brief outline of the Arcadian conflict while Fitzpatrick was posting the
sentries. The Government man made no comment, save to say that it was a
most unhappy situation; but when Ballard offered to show him to his
quarters for the night, he protested at once.

"No, indeed, Mr.