Under the midnight sky, misty pale and dusted with glittering stars, the little shelter tents of Landor\'s command shone in white rows. The campfires were dying; the herd, under guard, was turned out half a mile or more away on a low mesa, where there was scant grazing; and the men, come that afternoon into camp, were sleeping heavily, after a march of some forty miles,—all save the sentry, who marched up and down, glancing from time to time at the moving shadows of the herd, or taking a sight along his carbine at some lank coyote scudding across the open.

But presently he saw, coming from down the road, two larger bodies, which showed themselves soon, in the light of the stars against the sands, to be a pair of horsemen and evidently no Apaches. He watched them. They rode straight up to the camp and answered his challenge. They wished, they said, to speak to the officer in command.

The sentry was of the opinion that it was an unseemly hour to arouse a man who had marched all day, but it was not for him to argue. He walked deliberately, very deliberately indeed, that the citizens might be impressed, over to Landor\'s tent and awoke him. "There\'s two citizens here, sir, asking to see you,[Pg 111] sir." His tone plainly disclaimed any part in the affair.

Landor came out, putting on his blouse, and went over to the horsemen. One of them dismounted and raised his hat.

"My name, sir, is Foster."

Landor expressed pleasure, without loss of words.

"I represent, sir, the citizens of San Tomaso."

"Yes?" said Landor. He knew the citizens of the district, and attached no particular sacredness to the person of their envoy.

"They have expressed the desire that I should convey to you, Colonel—"

"I am Captain—Captain Landor."

"Captain Landor," he corrected urbanely, "pleased to meet you, sir. They have expressed the desire that I should convey to you, sir, their wish to accompany you in the search for hostile Apaches."

That was evidently how it was to go into the papers. The officer knew it well enough, but he explained with due solemnity that he was acting under instructions, and was not to follow Indians into the hills. "I am only to camp here to protect the citizens of the valley against possible raids."

The civilian protested. "But there is a big company of us, sir, thirty or thirty-five, who can put you on the trail of a large band."

Landor explained again, with greater detail, vainly trying to impress the nature of a military order on the civilian brain. "It would not do for me to disobey my[Pg 112] instructions. And besides there are several officers who are to follow trails, out with larger commands. I have no pack-train, and I can\'t."

It did not seem to strike the representative of the citizens of San Tomaso that that was much of an argument. He continued to urge.

"Of course," said the officer, "I understand that the hostiles are not in the immediate vicinity?"

"Well, not in the immediate vicinity," he admitted. "No; but they passed along the foot-hills, and stole some stock, an\' killed three men no later than this evening."

"Say we were to get off at sun-up, then," objected Landor, "they would even in that way have twelve hours\' start of us."

"Yes, sir. But they ain\'t likely to travel fast. They\'ll think themselves safe enough up there in the mountains. We could easy overtake them, being as we wouldn\'t be hampered with drove stock. They stole about fifty head, an\' we could most likely get it back if we started at once. It is the wish of the citizens of San Tomaso, ain\'t it?" He turned to the man who had remained mounted, and who had not opened his mouth. The man nodded.

"I couldn\'t follow more than two days," Landor expostulated hopelessly. "As I tell you, I\'ve no pack-train. The men would have to carry their rations in their saddle pockets."

Foster hastened to assure him that two days would easily do it. "We know the country round here, [Pg 113]Colonel, know it better than the hostiles themselves; and a big party of us volunteers to put you on the trail and bring you to them. You can\'t hardly refuse, seein\' as you say you are here to protect us, and this is the protection we ask, to get back the stock we\'ve lost."

Landor stood considering and pulling at his mustache, as his way was. Then he turned on his heel and went back to the tent for Brewster. He explained the matter to him. "I tell Mr. Foster," he said, "just what risk I would take if I acted contrary to orders, but the force of my argument doesn\'t seem to strike him. If any harm were to come to the citizens around here, I\'d be responsible."

"You won\'t, I don\'t guess, if it was the citizens\' own wish," insisted the indomitable one. "You wouldn\'t be gone more than two days at the outside. And a big party of us will go with you."

"How many did you say?" he wanted to know, having the laudable intention of committing the man before Brewster.

And Foster answered him that there would be thirty or forty.

Was he quite certain that the trail was of hostiles, and not of cow-boys or of other troops?

"Certain, dead sure. It\'s a band of Apaches that went across the river. Why, half a dozen seen them."

Landor consulted with his lieutenant. "Very well," he said in the end, "I\'ll go. I take serious risks, but I understand it to be the wish of the citizens hereabouts."[Pg 114] Their envoy assured him that it most certainly was, and became profuse in acknowledgments; so that Landor shut him off. He had come many miles that day and must be on the march again at dawn, and wanted what sleep he could get. "When and where will you meet me?" he demanded with the curtness of the military, so offensive to the undisciplined.

"At eight o\'clock, sir," he answered resentfully, "in front of the dry-goods store on the main street. If that is convenient for your men."

"That will do," said Landor. "See there is no delay," and he wheeled about and went back to his tent with Brewster.

The citizens rode off.

"They won\'t be ready. No use making haste, Captain," Cairness suggested at daybreak, as Landor hurried the breakfast and saddling. They knew that the chances were ten to one that it would be a wild goose chase, and the captain already repented him. But at seven the men were mounted, with two days\' rations in their saddle bags, and trotting across the flat in the fragrance of the yet unheated day, to the settlement of San Tomaso.

Two aimless citizens lounged on their horses, rapt in argument and the heavy labor of chewing—so much so that they barely took notice of the troops.

Landor rode up to them and made inquiries for Foster.

"Foster?" one drawled, "he\'ll be along presently, I reckon."

[Pg 115]

Landor went back to his command and waited. Another man rode up and joined the two. Ten minutes passed, and the troops grew restless.

Landor went forward again. "Can you, gentlemen, tell me," he demanded a trifle wrathfully, "where I can find Mr. Foster?" They reckoned, after deliberation, that he might be in Bob\'s saloon. Which might Bob\'s saloon be? The man pointed, hooking his thumb over his shoulder, and went on with his conversation and his quid. A dozen or more loafers, chiefly Mexicans, had congregated in front of the dry-goods store.

Landor rode over to Bob\'s place, and giving his horse to the trumpeter, strode in. There were eight men around the bar, all in campaign outfit, and all in various stages of intoxication. Foster was effusive. He was glad to see the general. General Landor, these were the gentlemen who had volunteered to assist Uncle Sam. He presented them singly, and invited Landor to drink. The refusal was both curt and ungracious. "If we are to overtake the hostiles, we have got to start at once," he suggested.

But it was full two hours, in the end, before they did start. Flasks had to be replenished, farewell drinks taken, wives and families parted from, the last behests made, of those going upon an errand of death. Citizens burning with ardor to protect their hearths and stock were routed out of saloons and dance halls, only to slip away again upon one pretext or another.

The sun was now high and blazing down into the one street of the mud settlement. The enlisted men[Pg 116] were angry that Landor, fearing they, too, would be led astr............