A number of soldiers off duty were loitering in front of the barracks,
while a small group of officers occupied chairs on the log porch of
their quarters, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I greeted these as I
passed, conscious that their eyes followed me curiously as I approached
the closed door of the commandant's office. The sentry without brought
his rifle to a salute, but permitted my passage without challenge. A
voice within answered my knock, and I entered, closing the door behind
me. The room was familiar--plain, almost shabbily furnished, the walls
decorated only by the skins of wild beasts, and holding merely a few
rudely constructed chairs and a long pine table. Major Bliss glanced
up at my entrance, with deep-set eyes hidden beneath bushy-gray
eyebrows, his smooth-shaven face appearing almost youthful in contrast
to a wealth of gray hair. A veteran of the old war, and a strict
disciplinarian, inclined to be austere, his smile of welcome gave me
instantly a distinct feeling of relief.

"How long have you been here at Armstrong, Lieutenant?" he questioned,
toying with an official-looking paper in his hands.

"Only about three weeks, sir. I came north on the _Enterprise_, with
dispatches from General Gaines."

"I remember; you belong to the Fifth, and, without orders, I promptly
dragooned you into garrison service." His eyes laughed. "Only sorry I
cannot hold you any longer."

"I do not understand, sir."

"Yet I presume you have learned that the _Wanderer_ stopped here for an
hour last night on its way north to Prairie du Chien?"