"Herr Lieutenant, Private Bland is not with my party at all, sir."
"Did you leave him back with the packs?"
"No, sir; the men say he wasn't with us all night. He rode ahead with the lieutenant until we came to Corporal Donovan's body."
"He's not been with me since," exclaimed the lieutenant. "Sergeant Lee, ask if any of the men have seen him."
Lee was gone but a moment, then came back with grave face and troubled eyes, bringing with him a young trooper who was serving his first enlistment.
"Private Goss, here, has a queer story to tell, sir."
"What do you know? What have you seen?" asked Drummond.
"Why, sir, right after Sergeant Lee caught sight of the fire and sung out that it was Moreno's I was back about a couple of rods looking for my canteen. I was that startled when they found Corporal Donovan dead that I dropped it, and all of a sudden somebody comes out past me leading his horse, and I asked him what he had lost, and he said his pipe, and passed me by, and I thought nothing more about it,—only no sooner did he get out into the dark where I couldn't see him than I heard all of a sudden a horse start at full gallop right over in this direction, and now I think of it it must have been Bland, for it was him that passed me, sir,—sneaking out like."
Drummond sprang to his feet.
"What say you to this, sergeant? Do you believe,—do you think it possible that Bland has deserted and joined these outlaws?"