One by one the stately Indians came to make their homage, bending their war-crests proudly and placing her hands upon their painted breasts.  Then they went away in silence, each to his proper post, no doubt.  Yet, to be certain, I desired to make my rounds, and bade Lois await me there.  But I had not proceeded three paces when lo!  Of a sudden she was at my side, laughing her soft defiance at me in the darkness.

“No orders do I take save what I give myself,” she said.  “Which is no mutiny, Euan, and no insubordination either, seeing that you and I are one—­ or are like to be when the brigade chaplain passes—­ if the Tories meddle not with his honest scalp!  Come!  Honest Euan, shall we make our rounds together?  Or must I go alone?”

And she linked her arm in mine and put one foot forward, looking up at me with all the light mischief of the very boy she seemed in her soft rifle-dress and leggins, and the bright hair crisply curling ’round her moleskin cap.

“Have a care of the trees, then, little minx,” I said.

“Pooh!  Can you not see in the dark?”

“Can you?”

“Surely.  When you and I went to the Spring Waiontha, I needed not your lantern light to guide me.”

“I see not well by night,” I admitted.

“You do see well by night—­ through my two eyes!  Are we not one?  How often must I repeat it that you and I are one!  One!  One!  O Loskiel—­ stealer of hearts, if you could only know how often on my knees I am before you—­ how truly I adore, how humbly, scarcely daring to believe my heart that tells me such a tale of magic and enchantment—­ after these barren, loveless years.  Mark!  Yonder stands the Grey-Feather!  Is that his post?”

“Wonder-eyes, I see him not!  Wait—­ aye, you are right.  And he is at his post.  Pass to the left, little minx.”

And so we made the rounds, finding every Indian except the Sagamore at his post.  He lay asleep.  And after we had returned to our southern ledge of rock, and I had spread my blanket for her and laid my pack to pillow her, I picked up my rifle and rose from my knees.

“And you?” she asked.

“I stand guard across the trail below.”

“Why?  When all except the Siwanois are watching!  The Night Hawk is there.  Stretch yourself here beside me and try to sleep.  Your watch will come too soon to suit you, or me either, for that matter.”

“Do you mean to go on guard with me?”

“Do you dream that I shall let you stand your guard alone, young sir?”

“This is folly, Lois—­ "

“Euan, you vex me.  Lie beside me.  Here is sufficient blanket room and pillow.  And if you do not sleep presently and let me sleep too, our wits will all be sadly addled when they summon us.”

So I stretched myself out beside her and looked up, open eyed, into darkness.

“Sleep well,” she whispered, smothering a little laugh.