Foes in Ambush

Charles King's Foes in Ambush follows an army paymaster and his escort through a dangerous southwestern frontier landscape. At an isolated station, Sergeant Feeny warns that delayed men, uncertain reports, and the route through Cañon Diablo leave the party exposed. The group nevertheless has orders, money, and vulnerable travelers to move, making every change of plan a possible opening for attack.

The narrative builds suspense from imperfect information. Soldiers must judge whether an absence means indiscipline, deception, or an enemy already arranging the ground. Rank does not guarantee practical wisdom: Feeny's experience conflicts with official confidence; distance and poor communication make verification slow. The threatened ambush is therefore both a military danger and a test of whose knowledge receives authority.

Read with attention to signals, trails, timing, and the distribution of responsibility within the escort. King's period language and frontier assumptions require historical distance, but the tactical problem remains clear: movement depends on trust when trustworthy evidence is scarce. This outline establishes the exposed journey and Feeny's warning without revealing the attackers' design, the full sequence of engagements, or the survivors' outcomes.