officer.

"It was particularly set forth in the orders," resumed Captain
Gales, "that any form of conflict was to be avoided by the expedition
of which you commanded a part, was it not?"

"It was, sir," Darrin admitted.

"And yet, by the report which Lieutenant Cantor has turned in,
you opened fire on Cosetta and his band and have returned to ship
with two men killed and four men wounded. Is that report correct?"

"It is, sir," admitted the young ensign, "with one exception."

"State the exception, Ensign Darrin," ordered the captain, coldly.

"The exception, sir, is that Cosetta's fellows opened fire on us
first."

Dave Darrin stood looking straight into Captain Gales's eyes.

"Ensign Darrin, did you do anything to provoke that fire?" asked
the commanding officer.

"Yes, sir," Dave admitted.

"Ah!" breathed Captain Gales, while Cantor gave an almost inaudible
ejaculation of triumph.

"What was it, sir, that you did to provoke Cosetta into ordering his
fellows to fire?" questioned Captain Gales.

"Why, sir, I found and rescued the Americans after whom you sent
me," Dave explained. "They were Cosetta's prisoners. There was
not a shot fired on either side until after I had placed the released
prisoners under the protection of my own men, and had started away
with them. Then the Mexican bandits opened fire on us."

"Couldn't you have escaped without returning the fire?"

"We might have been able to do so, sir."

"Then why didn't you?" pressed the captain.

"Because, sir, I felt sure that we would lose most of our men if
we tamely submitted, and ran, pursued by superior numbers, to our
launch. Moreover, I was much afraid that some of the Americans we
were trying to rescue would be hit."

"In your judgment, Ensign Darrin, there was no other course open
save to return the fire?"

"That was my exact judgment of the situation, sir," replied the
young ensign earnestly.

"And still is your best judgment?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Hm!" commented Captain Gales. "And yet you have returned to
ship with your casualties amounting to thirty per cent of your
command, and one-third of your casualties are fatalities."

"Those are the facts, sir," interposed Lieutenant Cantor. "Therefore,
in the face of fighting against orders, and sustaining such losses
to his own immediate command, I felt it my duty, sir, to prefer
charges against Ensign Darrin."

"This is a most unfortunate affair, sir," commented Captain