if there were a
traitor among the deserters, he had allowed himself to be captured with
the others in order to avoid suspicion.

Among the non-commissioned officers who had attempted to desert was one
of the corporals belonging to Bob's troop, and the next morning Bob was
ordered to take his place and do duty as corporal of the guard. He saw
the prisoners served with breakfast, and the numerous orders he had to
give opened the eyes of one of them, who began to think he had made a
discovery. And so he had, but he could not prove it.

"I'll tell you what's a fact, boys," said Bristow as he walked to a
remote corner of his prison with a cup of coffee in one hand and some
cracker and bacon in the other: "I know whom we have to thank for our
arrest."

"Who is it?" asked a dozen voices at once.

"I'd like to send him my compliments in the shape of a bullet from my
carbine," said the corporal whose place Bob was then filling. "Tell us
who he is, so that we can improve the first chance to get even with
him."

"There he is," said Bristow, shaking his piece of cracker at Bob. "He
has been trying to get on the blind side of the officers for a long
time, as you all know, and he has accomplished his object at last by
going back on his comrades."

The prisoners looked at Bob as if they expected him to deny the
accusation; but, to the disappointment of some of them who really liked
him, he had nothing to say.

"Why don't you speak up and declare that it isn't so?" demanded the
corporal.

"Because he dare not," exclaimed Bristow. "He couldn't without telling a
lie, and, as he is a good little boy, he wouldn't do that for the
world."

"I don't believe he did it," said another of the culprits. "He is not
one of us, and how could he have found it out? I believe that the
traitor is right here in the guard-house under arrest."

"I know he isn't," declared Bristow. "Bob Owens is the only traitor
there is, and you may depend upon it. Now, let me tell you just what is
going to happen when the court-martial comes off: it will be proved to
the satisfaction of all of you that Owens found out about our plans in
some way or other, and went straight to the colonel with them. You will
be disrated, Corporal Jim, and Lieutenant Earle, in order to reward Bob
for carrying tales and to encourage him to carry more, will give him
your place. Why, he has just as good as got the stripes on his arm
now."

Corporal Jim looked daggers at Bob, an