turn shot at his tormentors.

"This whole blame country is full of discharged sojers," he growled,
"an' they know their biz all right. I reckon them fellers is pretty
sure to git one of us yit; anyhow, they 've got us cooped. Say, Bob,
thet lad crawling yonder ought to be in reach, an' it's our bounden
duty not to let the boys git too gay."

Hampton tried the shot suggested, elevating considerable to overcome
distance. There was a yell, and a swift skurrying backward which
caused Mason to laugh, although neither knew whether this result arose
from fright or wound.

"'Bliged ter teach 'em manners onct in a while, or they 'll imbibe a
fool notion they kin come right 'long up yere without no invite. 'T
ain't fer long, no how, 'less all them guys are ijuts."

Hampton turned his head and looked soberly into the freckled face,
impressed by the speaker's grave tone.

"Why?"

"Fire, my boy, fire. The wind's dead right fer it; thet brush will
burn like so much tinder, an' with this big wall o' rock back of us, it
will be hell here, all right. Some of 'em are bound to think of it
pretty blame soon, an' then, Bob, I reckon you an' I will hev' to take
to the open on the jump."

Hampton's eyes hardened. God, how he desired to live just then, to
uncover that fleeing Murphy and wring from him the whole truth which
had been eluding him all these years! Surely it was not justice that
all should be lost now. The smoke puffs rose from the encircling
rifles, and the hunted men cowered still lower, the whistling of the
bullets in their ears.

CHAPTER XIII

"SHE LOVES ME; SHE LOVES ME NOT"

Unkind as the Fates had proved to Brant earlier in the day, they
relented somewhat as the sun rose higher, and consented to lead him to
far happier scenes. There is a rare fortune which seems to pilot
lovers aright, even when they are most blind to the road, and the young
soldier was now most truly a lover groping through the mists of doubt
and despair.

It was no claim of military duty which compelled him to relinquish Miss
Spencer so promptly at the hotel door, but rather a desire to escape
her ceaseless chatter and gain retirement where he could reflect in
quiet over the revelations of Hampton. In this quest he rode slowly up
the valley of the Bear Water, through the bright sunshine, the rare
beauty of the scene scarcely leaving the slightest impress on his mind,
so busy was it, and so preoccupied. He no longer had any