glance at Noll, who
stood by.

"Yes, sir."

"When did you both see Branders, then?"

"Our first day here, sir. You may recall, Colonel, that you told Terry
and me that we need not go on duty that first day, but that we might
have the day to ourselves, as a reward for having helped Major Davis in
that mail-train affair the night before our arrival at this post."

"I remember," nodded Colonel North. "But you have not yet told me the
circumstances of your meeting with Branders."

Hal hurriedly recounted the details of that meeting, among the rocks
past the ledge, out on the road leading westward from the post.

"At that time, Colonel," Private Hal Overton continued, "Branders told
us he was headed for a ranch to the westward, where he expected to get a
job. We had no reason for disbelieving him, at the time, and so it never
even occurred to us, until to-night, that he might be one of the
burglars who have been looting this post. Besides, sir, though Tip had
always been known as a rather worthless fellow, we had never heard of
his being the associate of downright criminals."

Now the searchers came in to report that they could find neither a
trail nor any sight of dropped bundles of loot.

"At daylight, Major," suggested Colonel North to Major Silsbee, "you may
be able to send out scouts who, with a better light, may succeed in
finding a trail."

Hal turned to Lieutenant Hayes, saluting.

"I wonder, sir, if it won't be best for me to offer a suggestion to
Colonel North?"

The regimental commander turned at once.

"You may speak, Private Overton."

"I was about to inquire, sir," replied Hal, saluting, "if it isn't
likely that there may be a good hiding place for thieves among the rocks
back of the ledge of which I spoke some time ago."

"What makes you think the thieves may be there, Overton?"

"The thought has just struck me, sir, that Branders was probably lurking
about in the vicinity of a cave or other place of concealment, on the
day that he threw the stone at us. It struck me, sir, that a squad of
men might search that locality with the chance of finding the rest of
Branders's associates and also of recovering much of the stuff that has
been stolen from quarters on this post."

"That's a bright suggestion, worth working upon. Cortland, will you take
a detachment of men and hasten out to that locality? Post men all
around while it is still dark, and then, with a few men, plunge right
through that n