. Here we were at fault, when a handsome, delicate-looking lad,
known somehow or other to your Jack, came up and carried us to the
crossing above, where the lad gave us the slip, and we saw no more of
him. We struck the hoofs again where he left us, and followed them to a
small prairie on the edge of the woods, where the ground was strangely
broken and trampled. There they had turned back, and we lost all
trace."

"But how, then, did you come here?"

"By accident altogether. We were striking to the nearest point on the
National Road when that tall sergeant of yours dropped down upon us out
of the branches of a tree."

"Whom did you see, Jack?" I whispered to the boy, after having drawn
him aside.

"I saw them all, Captain."

"Well?"

"They asked where you were, and when I told them--"

"Well--well!"

"They appeared to wonder--"

"Well?"

"And the young ladies--"

"And the young ladies?"

"They ran round, and cried, and--"

Jack was the dove that brought the olive-branch.

"Did they say where they were going?" I inquired, after one of those
sweet waking dreams.

"Yes, Captain, they are going up the country to live."

"Where--where?"

"I could not recollect the name--it was so strange."

"Jalapa? Orizava? Cordova? Puebla? Mexico?"

"I think it was one of them, but I cannot tell which. I have forgotten
it, Captain."

"Captain Haller!" called the voice of the major; "here a moment, if you
please. These are some of the men who were going to hang you, are they
not?"

Twing pointed to _five_ of the Jarachos who had been captured in the
skirmish.

"Yes," replied I, "I think so; yet I could not swear to their identity."

"By the crass, Major, I can swear to ivery mother's son av thim! There
isn't a scoundhrel among thim but has given me rayzon to remimber him,
iv a harty kick in the ribs might be called a rayzon. Oh! ye ugly
spalpeens! kick me now, will yez?--will yez jist be plazed to trid upon
the tail av my jacket?"

"Stand out here, my man," said the major.

Chane stepped forward, and swore away the lives of the five Jarochos in
less than as many minutes.

"Enough!" said the major, after the Irishman had given his testimony.
"Lieutenant Claiborne," continued he, addressing an officer the youngest
in rank, "what sentence?"

"Hang!" replied the latter in a solemn voice.

"Lieutenant Hillis?"

"Hang!" was the reply.

"Lieutenant Clayley?"

"Hang!" said Clayley in a qui