aide-de-camp, "Cranston knows all about
them and is willing to take him. You might relieve yourself of any
feeling of punctilio on that score."

"Then Captain Cranston is your informant in this business, colonel,"
said Devers, with an attempt at a sneer.

"Not at all," said the aide-de-camp, placidly. "Brannan's mother told us
all about it. She is a very superior woman, and we dine there
occasionally."

Devers stared blankly at the speaker just a moment, half incredulous,
half resentful, then at last he realized that it was no pleasantry on
the part of his visitor and, for once in his life, collapsed entirely.

That night Brannan was released and bidden to go to his troop and be
patient. This time there was no doubt of his application being forwarded
to regimental head-quarters, and there's no doubt, said the chaplain,
who had a talk with him within an hour of his restoration to duty, that
a week would see him _en route_ to join Cranston's troop at Ogallalla.
Devers was still commanding officer of the post, however, and gave the
chaplain to understand that so long as the man remained at Scott the
interests of discipline required that there should be no exhibition of
exuberant triumph on his part or of further interference on the part of
his spiritual sympathizers. He hated the chaplain by this time as much
as he feared Cranston. Something had told him that the aide-de-camp's
visit meant that the toils were tightening, and that even though the
Gray Fox was away his great superior, the lieutenant-general, had an eye
on the situation and an ear for the stories of his defamers. Devers felt
that the inspector came because of sudden and direct appeal from
Brannan's friends. He could not longer attribute it to Davies. Well, it
would take a week or ten days anyhow before Brannan's orders could come,
and a week was a long time to a man with a treacherous thirst.

But what Devers only suspected and did not know was that in the long
consultation with Leonard that officer gave, by request, his version of
the altercation which had taken place between himself and Devers, and of
the events leading up to it. The staff officer brought with him the
original report of the investigation made of the Antelope Springs affair
and Devers's topographical sketch of the ground, trails and all, and
Leonard's black eyes burned as he studied it. The aide-de-camp had some
social calls to pay and left these papers in Leonard's hands while he
was