Suddenly he pulled up short. Not far away he heard a sound, a suppressed cough. There it was again, its owner evidently doing his best to stifle it. Lucius surmised clearly enough from whom the sound proceeded. It was one of the communicating sentries between the outposts and their reserves. He felt rather than heard that the man was walking in his direction, and with the painful thought troubling him, ‘What if I were to cough or sneeze?’ drew close behind a tree to wait till he had passed by. Standing there, he heard another sound—the measured tramp of feet, as if a body of men were stealthily approaching him. The sentry heard it too, for he halted a few paces from Lucius and prepared to act. ‘Halt!’ he challenged in a guarded voice, at the same time bringing his rifle to the charge. ‘Who comes there?’ ‘Patrol!’ was the reply, also given in an undertone. ‘Stand, patrol! Advance one and give the countersign!’ Some one stepped forward to the point of the sentry’s bayonet, and answered in a tone so low as to be almost a whisper: ‘Winchester!’ ‘So,’ thought Lucius, who caught the word, ‘the countersign has been changed. That is how Grizzly came to be stopped at the ditch. Well, it won’t do me any good, for I dare not try it on now.’ ‘Pass, patrol! All’s well!’ said the sentry, still keeping his rifle at the charge. The patrol moved on, the officer in charge turning back to inquire: ‘Any sign of the spy?’ ‘No, sir,’ replied the sentry, and Luce’s heart thrilled with joy at the word. Presently the sentry resumed his beat, and Lucius slipped past and continued his heedful advance. The most difficult part of his work lay before him, for the outposts were in strength, and their advanced sentries had also to be negotiated. Still he thought that, once past the outposts, he would be able to show the sentinels a clean pair of heels. But there was one thing on which he had not reckoned, and presently he came upon a sight which took his breath away. A line of light lay right across his path—the bivouac fires of the pickets. They extended as far as he could see on either hand, and the boy’s heart sank within him as he wondered how he should pass across that line of radiant light without being discovered. However, on closer investigation, he saw to his intense relief that, though the fires were not very far apart, yet between each was a dark space, and through one of these he trusted to be able to slip. Moreover, he noted that, while most of the men were lying down, some few were standing up or walking about, and so was led to hope that his upright figure, if observed at all, would not attract attention. There was no help for it—it had to be done; so drawing a long breath he set his teeth hard, and making carefully for the dark path between two of the fires, advanced with firm and deliberate step.