With a thundering shout of "The Silver Key! Help for the Silver Key!" he clubbed his musket and dashed straight at me, regardless of the levelled pistol. One moment's pressure on the trigger and he would have dropped to the ground helpless, but I refrained; instead, I pulled the rein, and my horse swerved sharply, though not in time. The musket descended with a thud; the pistol slipped from my nerveless fingers; I seemed to be plunging down, down beneath a sea of angry waters. How long I lay thus, or what happened during that time, I do not know; but I awoke to find myself beside a roaring fire, and to hear the hum of many voices. A soldier, hearing me move, came and looked into my face. "Where am I?" I asked anxiously. "Not far from Lima," said he. "A few hours since you weren't far from the next world. How did you get that broken head?" I tried hard to remember, but could not; the past was a total blank. "Well, well, never mind," exclaimed the man kindly. "Try to sleep; you will be better in the morning." With the coming of dawn I saw that I was in the midst of a large camp. Thousands of soldiers wrapped in their ponchos lay motionless before smouldering fires. Presently there was a blowing of bugles, and the still figures stirred to life. Officers rode hither and thither issuing orders, the men ate their scanty rations, the cavalry groomed and fed their horses--there were all the sights and sounds connected with an army about to march. Then the infantry formed in battalions, the horsemen mounted, bugles sounded in numerous places; there was a cracking of whips, the creaking of wheels, and all began to move slowly forward. Soon but a few men remained, and it seemed that I had been forgotten. At length a man came to me. He was dressed in uniform, but his words and actions proved him to be a surgeon. "Feel better?" he asked. "Can you eat something? I can only give you army food; but that will fill up the hollows. Now let me look at the damage. Faith, I compliment you on having a thick skull. A thinner one would have cracked like an egg-shell. Don't try to talk till you've had something to eat." "Just one question," I said faintly. "Who are the soldiers just moved out?" "Why, General Canterac's troops. I see you belong to the other side. But don't worry; we shan't hurt you." "Then I am a prisoner?" "That's always the way--one question leads to a dozen, Yes, I suppose you are a prisoner; but that's nothing very terrible," and he hurried off to procure food and drink for me. Later in the day he came to have another talk, and I learned something of what had happened. "We crossed the mountains almost without a check," he began. "The Indians did us some damage; but they were only a handful, and we saw none of your fellows." "But how came I to be here?"