Two hours after the party of eleven left the village, a Mauser
bullet from the clump of trees far to the right cut through the
hat of one of the scouts who was some distance in advance of his
fellows. As he saw the scout stoop to pick up his hat, Rogers turned
to the man nearest him and remarked:

"They'll get him sure as shootin' some day if he hikes along in
that damn fool way."

It was no new experience for the scouts to find the quarry gone
when they reached the place where they expected to find him. Pilar's
own scouts had found that the ambuscade was destined to fail of
its purpose, and the wily leader drew back into the more accessible
country. The scouting party did not come in sight of the little
brown soldiers. The occasional crack of a Mauser broke the silence
of the advance, keeping the Americans in active touch with the
dangers that surrounded them.

They found the deserted trenches and signs of recent occupation.
The insurgents had been gone from the position less than two hours.
Treachery faced the little squad of Americans on every side,
but they did not falter. Connell scattered his men and they stole
carefully into the fastnesses, finding on all sides evidences of hasty
departure. Before noon they were far up in the hills, everywhere
met by the physical assurance that the enemy was not far ahead
of them. Behind them came Captain Groce and his men and the two
correspondents.

Amigos along the mountain road gave information that was not worth