I drew my revolver, my other hand clasping hers, and waited breathlessly.

The little squad came trudging down the opposite side of the fence, only the upper part of their bodies dimly visible against the slightly lighter background of the sky.

I made out the officer in command, and four men, then they wheeled into the shadow of the stables, and the sentinel stationed there challenged.

There was a reply, the sound of a musket brought sharply to the shoulder, a gruff, indistinguishable order, and then again the tramp of feet, dying away in the distance.

Every movement, and word, told the story, revealed the situation.