The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-03
THE SERGEANT'S VOW.

l had been waiting week at Jetter-
son for instructions !r.m Washington.
| had written for permission to 90 to
New Orleans, as | had relatives there
with whom wished to pass the winter;
but at the end of the week my hopes
were all nipped in the bud by the fol-
lowing mi 'sive:
MAJOR: You will proceed ut once to Fort
Stet.on: thence, with all possible diSl atch,
to Fort Carson; and thence to Fort kearney.
ct which posts you may pay Oft the enrolled
men and officers, and also settle all duly au'
thenticated bills against the Office on account
Of provisions, forage, camp and garrison
stores, etc.
1t is particularly relucsted that you will
be careful and exact in your return OF esti-
mates for the coming winter months.
Captain Goodwin will detail for you sut
escort as you may require. lhave the honor
to be, etc, G. p BOWMAN, u. +. n. e.,
Ma or and PaymaSter, U. S. a.
To G. s. Cocbrane.
This did not reach me by the hands Of
Captain Goodwin, however, whom /
should have been happy to meet; but by
the hands of Sc geant .'amcs Coanover,
who came with SIX nen under his COM
mard, to escort ME on my way, # |
deemed 8 lch escort su cient. Goodwin,
who WIS sick wit fever and ague, wrote
by the hlnd of his clerk:
Il would send you more men: but,
really l think more would be in your
way. There ale no Indians on the trail
between etferson and Stctson; and cer-
tainly this escort is sufficient against any
ordinary highway Interpolation. Ser
geant Connover is not very brilliant
man: nor is he over and above sociable:
but have found him true as steel; and
the privates-members Of my own COM
pany-whom I send with him you Can
rely upon in any emergencies. Only,
they have the common weakness. Don't
give them too free run ut the whisky
bottle Tn y won't break faith with
you to get it; but if allowed full sway,
they might get drop two much for
your own comfort
And he wrote about other matters, but
nothing more OF his men.
After reading the letter I raised my
eyes and met the gaze of the Sergeant,
who stood with his cap in his hand on
the opposite side of the small table. He
starte d when I looked up, and thought
he was ashamed of having been caught
staring at ME so tixedly. But the flush
quickly left his face, and he inclined his
head another way.
He wa, man of medium size, very
heavily built, and evidently very muscu-
lsr. In short, he was made for tighter,
and f.r one of those valuable fighters
who possess stubborn will and doggcd
resolution rather than hot and impctuous
pugnacity. lie was not a man to be ever
In ferment; but man who, when
fairly aroused, is 10 be feared. He was
not far. from forty-fivc years of age, and
the stripes upon his forearm showed that
he had served four full terms of enlist
ment previous to the present.
went out with the Sergeant and
found the six men on the p azza, stand
ing at case under arms. They were really
fine looki: fellows, and answered, re-
spectively, to the names: Smith, Adams,
Mcaly. Ocsau, Van Writ, and Connolly.
Smith was Yankee; Adams was an Eng
lshman, and had been in the Queen s
service as dragoon; Mealy and Con-
molly were Irishmen; Oesau was Dutch
man, and Van Writ was German. A
wide range of nationality for 80 small a
SQUAD; but fair sample of our army,
nevertheless; and, furthermore, six men
of one nation could not have been more
free and pleasant than were those six.
Unlike their Sergeant, they were free
and pleasant, and seemed to be thankful
for the privilege of taking the forest
tramp with me; while |, in turn, gave
them to understand that I would do all
I could to make them comfortable. The
SQUAD had come with good horses, so
the only preparations l had 10 make for
the start were to get my own horses
ready and draw my money.
Ny estimates had been to the amount
of $50, ,OC0, and this must take in gold.
went 10 the bank with the sergeant and
three of the men and got the money,
which took away in four small canvas
bags, weighing about forty pounds each,
but at the hotel l packed the gold in a
sort OF pannier- saddle, contrivancc
which | had invented myself, and in
which 1 could SO pack anywhere from
one 10 four hundred pou IDS of gold that
it would neither sway or jingle. In short,
. horse could bear in this saddlc-pack a
bu-d> of dead weight almost as easily
as he could bear human rider. And |
had horse on purpose for the work
one that I used for 'evcral years, and
that understood his duty as though it
had all been reasoned out in his mind.
Bright and early On clear, cool Octo-
Der morning we set forth from Jefferson
with three days rations in our haver-
sacks, for Stet:on was 120 miles away
and VIC would be doing we'll to make the
trip within the time jndica ed. 1 rode
in advancement because I desired it, but
because the others were inclined to fall
to the rear.
We were passing over narrow bridge
Just on the outskirts of Jefferson when
we met two men and two boys driving
before them a drive of cattle. l had
met and gone clear OF the herd without
difficulty. and was think rg how l would
like to take one Of the fatter bullocks
along with me: when an c clamation of
anger arrested Inv attention, and turning
in my saddle l discovered one of the
oXcn-a wild, frolicsome thing-had at
tackled the sergeant's horse. 1t had been
quickly donc-a frisk-a lcap-,a lunge
OF the great curving horns at the horses
sidc-thc iearing of the latter, and the
consequent unscating of the sergeant.
>When Connover had rcgaiued his feet
the fro'icsome bullock was away fom
his reach, but 10: so the innocent
droyers. Tho two men were near to-
pether and directly by his side as he
Srasved his sword-hilt and turned upon