"Nothing until the day we fought at Fisher's Hill," he said slowly. "Then I was dismissed from the service--for cowardice." "Cowardice!" repeating the word in quick protest. "Why, how could that be? Surely your courage had been sufficiently tested before?" "Cowardice, and disobedience of orders," he repeated dully, "after I had been under fire almost night and day for three years; after I had risen from the ranks and commanded the regiment." "And you had no defence?" "No; at least, none I could use; this man might have saved me, but he did not, and I never knew why." "Who was he?" "My senior captain, detailed on Early's staff; he brought me the orders verbally I was afterwards accused of disobeying. I was temporarily in command of the regiment that day with rank as major. There was a mistake somewhere, and we were horribly cut up, and a number taken prisoners. It was my word against his, and--and he lied." She took the haversack from him, studying the scarcely legible inscription. "'E. L. F.' Are those the letters?" "Yes; they stand for Eugene Le Fevre; he was of French descent, his home in New Orleans." "You knew him well?" "I thought so; we were at school together and afterwards in the army." She looked across at him again, touched by the tender echo of his voice; then leaned forward and placed one hand upon his. "You have not spoken about this for a long while, have you?" "No," his eyes lighting up pleasantly, "hardly thought of it, except sometimes alone at night. The memory made me savage, and all my efforts to ascertain the truth have proven useless." "That is why you enlisted?" "Largely; there is no better place to hide one's past than in the ranks out here on the plains. I--I could not remain at home with that disgrace hanging over me." "You must tell me all about it." Her head lifted suddenly as she gazed out across the river, shading her eyes. "Why, what are those?" she exclaimed eagerly, "there, moving on the bluffs opposite?" His glance swept to the northward, and he was as instantly the soldier again. Far away on the upper plateau, clearly outlined against the blue of the distant sky, appeared a number of dark figures. For a moment he believed them buffaloes, but in another instant decided instead they were horsemen riding two by two. "Get down lower, Miss McDonald," he commanded. "Now we can see, and not be seen. They must be cavalrymen, the way they ride, but we can take no chances."