ss as Dick did, nor did he have
the strong hereditary familiarity with them, and he felt uncomfortable
and apprehensive.

"I don't like it," he said to Pennington. "I'd rather fight in the open."

"So would I," said Pennington. "It's awful to lie here and feel yourself
being surrounded by dangers you can't see. I guess a man in the African
wilderness stalked at night by a dozen hungry lions would feel just about
as I do."

"I'm going to creep a little distance up the slope again," said the
sergeant, "and try to spy 'em out."

"A good idea, but be very careful."

"I certainly will, Mr. Mason. I want to live."

He slid among the bushes so quietly that Dick did not hear the noise of
him passing, nor was there any sound until he came back a few minutes
later.

"I saw 'em," he whispered. "They're lying among the bushes, and they're
not moving now, 'cause they're not certain what's become of us. It's
Slade sure. I saw him sitting under a tree, wearing that big flap-
brimmed hat, and sitting beside him was a great, black-haired, red-faced
man, a most evil-looking fellow, too."

"Skelly! Bill Skelly, beyond a doubt!" said Dick.

"That's him! From what you said Skelly started out by being for the
Union. Now, as we believed before, he's joined hands with Slade who's
for the South."

"They're just guerrillas, sergeant. They're for themselves and nobody
else."

"I reckon that's true, and they're expecting to get some plunder from us.
But if you'll listen to me, Mr. Mason, we'll burn their faces while
they're about it."

"You're our leader now, sergeant. Tell us what to do."

"Just to our right is a shallow gully, running through the cedars.
We can take shelter in it, crawl up it, and open fire on 'em. They don't
know our numbers, and if we take 'em by surprise maybe we can scatter 'em
for the time."

"I suppose we'll have to. I'd like to get away with this map at once,
but they'd certainly follow and force us to a fight."

"That's true. We must deal with 'em, now. I'll have to ask all of you
to be very careful. Don't slip, and look out for the dead wood lying
about. If a piece of it cracks under you Slade and Skelly will be sure
to notice it, and it'll be all up with our surprise."

"You hear," whispered Dick to the others. "If you don't do as the
sergeant says, very likely you'll get shot by Slade's men."

With life as the price it was not necessary to say anything more about
the need of s