The morning call., 1892-12-17
A CORPORAL'S ORDERS.

A (ORPORAL p ONDEKS.
Twenty army-wagons and their drivers
fifty cavalrYmen from Troop E-s pull Of
ninety miles across the Indian country.
Yes, we shall be attacked by the hostiles.
They would not let such an opportunity
pass. They can muster four to one, even if
We counted in the teamsters. Colonel Blank,
at the new post TO which we were bound,
had written TO Captain White, who WAS 10
command the traini
t'My wife is to come out with you. See
that my previous instructions are carried
out She knows what they are"
And We had not marched an hour when
Captain White sent for NE and said
Corporal, you will act as special guard
ever the third wagon"
Every well. sir.
''The cOlOhel's wife Is In that wagon. as
you probably know"
Eyes. sir"
''ln case the Indians are too strong for US,
they must not find her alive. That's alp
rode back to the third wagon and placed
my horse at the nigh fOrewheel and lifted
my cap to the lady, who had been pro-
yided with a comfortable seat by herself.
She was a little bit of a woman, not over Is
years old. and married to the colonel only
TWO years before. She looked at me out of
her big blue eyes and smiled, but she could
not steady her voice as she leaned forward
and inquired:
Corporal, do you-think we shall be at
tackled?
Quite likely. ma'am, but we may squeeze
through"
And if attached and you can't beat the
II have the captains orders. ma'amP'
"1es; very we'll"
We both understood. I had been espe-
eialy detailed 10 kill her If / saw that we
were 10 be wiped out! The thought of il
made ME dizzy as / rode along. Now and
then l glanced up at her, to find her facs
white and her eyes anxously searching the
horizon. had MY orders and was there TO
obey them, but could do 1t? II | was the
last living man OF that train could | raise
my cRrbDe and become her murderer?
At2 o'clock on the afternoon OF the Sec
oDd day cut we saw dozen mounted H.
dams on ridge TO the right, and closed up
the train. To the left was a succession Of
ridges, and if there was any force of hos
The c0lonePs wife was one of the first 10
discover the Indians al the right She was
looking at me as | glanced up.
eve shall be attacked?" she queried.
within ten minutes, am"
well, you-yOu-"
'.Yes'm, but L hope we shall beat them
of"
The redskins on the right now began TO
ride to and fro and whOop and yell and seek
to draw our attention and force the train to
halt Orders had been given the day before
20 keep moving in case of attack. In clos
Ing up the wagons had doubled the line
moving two abreast. The horsemen fell
into their places at Once-tweniy on q side,
I'VE ID front ana I'VE In rear. Some, of the
teamsters had earbines, while all had re-
vOlyers. Half mile beyond where we
had seen the first Indian the attack
was made, and 1t was a bold one. AS We
came opposite valley running back into
the ridges hundred CT more mounted In
dams came charging down on US. The val
ley was just about as wide as the train was
long. and therefore the twenty of us on
that side had chance at the reds as they
came on In mob. shooting, shouting aud
seemingly determined to ride over US.
"COrpoIalp'
1t was the voice Of the colonePs wife, Just
as we were preparing to fire.
"Yes'm. l remem ber," / replied, as low
cred my carbine to look up at her,
We poured the fire of our carbines into
the charging mass, and checked it's rush.
The Indians then passed to our front and
rear, so as to assail US on all sides There
were fully 300 Of them, aud had the train
halted but for a minute they would have
had US wiped out. a part Of them had
been ordered to fire only at the mules at
tsched to the wagons. AS they were kept
moving only three or four were struck and
none diss bled.
"Ccrpora p
There was fighting on front and rear and
both sides, and the bullets were flying about
Us In sDiteful way. Five had passed
through the covering Of the wagon beside
me.
1t was the colonePs wife calling to me.
L looked up into her white face and she
gasped:
Corporal. are you going toto"
Not yet; we are holding our owni' re-
piled, as turned to open fire again.
We were gradually getting out of the
trap. Farther on the ground was open and
20 our advantage. The Indian always does
his best fighting at the start. Here aud
there We had a man wounded, but there
was no confuslon-no hating. Whenever
they gathered as II to charge we opened fire
on tho spot and scattered them. Our fire
was RAPID and well sustained. and at the
end OF quarter Of an hour we had them
beaten. We were just drawing clear of the
ridge when bullet struck the third
wagon teamster in the shoulder, and he fell
forward on his saddle. 1t happened right
she called to me:
Corporal, obey your ordersl
She had her hands over her face so that
she might not see me as / raised my gun
The next few seconds must have been
terrible
"Beg pardon, ma'am, but the reds ara
drawing of, and the victory is ours"
She dropped her hands and stared at me
for minute as IL she could not com
prehend. Then she fell back In a dead
faint, and it was long half hour before
her blue eyes opened to the sunshine again.
A week later, at the new post, Colonel
Blank called me in and asked:
Corporal, weren't you ordered to shoot
Mrs. Blank?" 00'
'Yes, SIR"
Then why didn't you do itP" he stsrnly
demanded.
IL was going to, but"
But what. sir? It was prose djsohaa;-
poral.'' eoi-
But that was the old martineps way Of
Republic. A1o1''