Then he shook these thoughts away; there was no time to be lost. He must warn his companion, for they must make the dash at the same instant. He glanced toward where she lay in the shadow of the cliff, and saw that she was turning restlessly from side to side, as though fevered. With real anxiety, he hastened to her, knelt beside her, and placed his hand gently on her forehead. At the touch, she opened her eyes and stared dazedly up at him.
“Ask for some water,” she said, weakly; and then, in the same tone, “we must flee at the moment they salute their officer.”
Stewart turned to the soldiers, who were listening with inquiring faces.
“My brother is feverish,” he explained. “He asks for a drink of water.”
One of the men was instantly on his feet, unscrewing his canteen and holding it to the eager lips while Stewart supported his comrade’s head. She drank eagerly and then dropped back with a sigh of satisfaction, and closed her eyes.
“He will go to sleep now,” said Stewart. “Thank you,” and he himself took a drink from the proffered flask.
He was surprised to find how cool and fresh the water tasted, and when he looked at the flask more closely, he saw that it was made like a Thermos bottle, with outer and inner shells. He handed it back to its owner with a nod of admiration.
“That is very clever,” he said. “Everything seems to have been thought of.”
“Yes, everything,” agreed the other. “No army is equipped like ours. I am told that the French are in rags.”
“I don’t know,” said Stewart, cautiously, “I have never seen them.”