men.

He had caught several trout and a couple of catfish, when I saw Rachel
hurrying towards us.

"Massa Sergeant much worse," she exclaimed; "him fear him die; want bery
much to see him officer, so I come away while Missie Clarice watch ober
him. Him bery quiet now,--no fear ob him crying out for present."

On hearing this, we gathered up our fishing-rods and hastened back to
the house, considerably out-walking Rachel, who came puffing after us.

We found Clarice standing by the bedside of the sick man, moistening his
parched lips, and driving away the flies from his face.

"I am afraid I am going, sir," he said as the lieutenant bent over him.
"Before I die, I wish to tell you that I do not trust those two men of
ours, Karl Klitz and Gillooly. I learned from Pat Sperry that they have
been constantly putting their heads together of late, and he suspects
that they intend either to desert, or to do some mischief or other."

"Thank you," said the lieutenant; "but do not trouble yourself about
such matters now. I will look after the men. You must try to keep your
mind quiet. I hope that you are not going to die, as you suppose. I have
seen many men look much worse than you do, and yet recover."

The sergeant, after he had relieved his mind, appeared to be more quiet.
Rachel insisted on his taking some of her remedies; and as evening drew
on he was apparently better,--at all events, no worse. Clarice and the
negress were unremitting in their attentions, utterly regardless of the
fever being infectious; I do not think, indeed, that the idea that it
was so ever entered their heads.

[Illustration: OUR TROUT-STREAM IN ROARING WATER CANON.]

The lieutenant had been so occupied with his poor sergeant, that he
seemed to have forgotten all about his missing men. At last, however, he
recollected them, and I went back with him to the hut.

On the way we looked into the stables, where we found the five horses
and baggage mules all right; so that the men, if they had deserted, must
have done so on foot.

We opened the door of the hut, hoping that possibly by this time the
missing men might have returned; but neither of them was there. The
drunken fellow was, however, still sleeping on, and probably would have
slept on until his hut companions came back, had we not roused him up.

"You must take care that your people do not give him any more liquor, or
he will be in the same state to-morrow morning," observed the
lieutena