"What's this, Overton?" asked the captain coldly. "I thought you were one of our model young soldiers. Why, your rifle-bolt must have been in the fire. The end is out of shape, the temper is drawn--and here are file-marks on the bolt. It's unserviceable. I don't believe you could fire the piece." "I'm afraid not, sir," Hal admitted. "Load with a blank cartridge, my man, and try to fire the piece." Returning the bolt, Hal slipped in a blank. But he could not drive the bolt home for firing. "Ruined, my man," commented the captain stiffly. "Overton, this piece has been in your care. How did this happen?" "I don't know, sir." "Corporal Cotter!" The corporal came over briskly. "Corporal, Private Overton is in arrest until released. You will march him as a prisoner at the rear of the company and turn him over to the guard at night." Corporal Cotter again saluted. Then, as the company officer and the young lieutenant started away, Cotter stationed himself beside Overton. "Put your bolt back in the piece as far as it will go," ordered Cotter. "Tie it in place." The men in ranks ahead had heard enough to realize that Private Hal Overton was in disgrace, and most of them were sorry. Noll Terry was more than sorry. CHAPTER III SOLDIER HAL MARCHES AS A PRISONER The company broke ranks under orders to strike camp at once. Within six minutes the camp was down. Every enlisted man had his blanket roll made up and in place, and all his other equipment on. Corporal Cotter stood over Hal even while he was making up his roll. "How on earth did that thing happen?" murmured Noll wretchedly. "Silence; no talking with the prisoner," rebuked Corporal Cotter crisply. So Noll held his peace, though he was "boiling" inside. Again the company was assembled. "Fours right, march! By file, march!" B Company again struck the trail, heading further up into the mountains, leaving the wagons to follow presently. Though B Company was now likely to be attacked at any time in sham battle, by C Company, it had been agreed that the respective wagon trains of the companies were to be immune from capture on this day. "Overton, keep a distance of ten paces from the rear man of the company, and march before me," commanded Cotter. "Keep the step carefully until the order for route step comes." Never in his life had Hal Overton felt as heart-sick as he did now. Marching to the rear, a prisoner! It was, in every sense, as bad as being in the guard-house. Up ahead in the line things were "doing," but to this Hal, in his new misery, was all but blind. Sergeant Hupner, with six men, had been sent ahead as a "point" to discover any possible enemy who might be lurking in the way of the forward progress of B Company.