“I assumed those were the mines you meant,” said Donal, dryly. “Get Lee over here, will you?”

Morphy took out his own whistle and blew for the Senior Groupman, Third Group. They waited.

“He’s about the camp, isn’t he?” said Donal, after a moment. “I want all the men within whistle sound that aren’t on sentry duty.”

“Yes, sir,” said Morphy. “He’ll be here in a moment. He knows it’s me. Everybody sounds a little different on these whistles and you get to know them like voices after a while, sir.”

“Groupman,” said Donal. “I’d be obliged if you didn’t feel the need to keep telling me things I already know.”

“Yes, sir,” said Morphy, subsiding.

Another shadow loomed up out of the darkness.

“What is it, Morphy?” said the voice of Lee.

“I wanted to see you,” spoke up Donal, before the Senior Groupman had a chance to answer. “Morphy tells me you have a good sense of smell.”

“I do pretty well,” said Lee.

“Sir!”

“I do pretty well, sir.”

“All right,” said Donal. “Both of you take a look at the map here. Look sharp. I’m going to make a light.” He flicked on a little flash, shielded by his hand. The map was revealed, spread out on the log before them. “Look here,” said Donal, pointing. “Three kilometers off this way. Do you know what that is?”

“Small valley,” said Morphy. “It’s way outside our sentry posts.”

“We’re going there,” Donal said. The light went out and he got up from the log.

“Us? Us, sir?” the voice of Lee came at him.

“The three of us,” said Donal. “Come along.” And he led the way surefootedly out into the darkness.

Going through the woods, he was pleased to discover the two Groupmen were almost as sure-footed in the blackness as himself. They went slowly but carefully for something over a mile; and then they’ felt the ground beginning to slope upward under their feet.

“All right. Down and easy,” said Donal quietly. The three men dropped to their bellies and began in skilled silence to work their way up to the crest of the slope. It took them a good half-hour; but at the end of that time they lay side by side just under the skyline of a ridge, looking over into a well of blackness that was a small, hidden valley below. Donal tapped Lee on the shoulder and when the other turned his face toward him in the gloom, Donal touched his own nose, pointed down into the valley and made sniffing motions. Lee turned his face back to the valley and lay in that position for several minutes, apparently doing nothing at all. However, at the end of that time, he turned toward Donal again, and nodded. Donal motioned them all back down the slope.