The Portland daily press., 1894-04-25
IN THE RANKS.

! A stretch of dreary and desolate land
tho plains. just as far as the eye could
reach not break on that ocean OF earth
could be seen, not sign of human habl-
tation, not a particle of life and not a
trace of vegetation except tufts of bunch
grass and sagebrush, and away on all
sides the sky and earth seemed to meet.
1t was like the dawn of creation, or rather
after the end Of the world when every l1v-
ing thing has been swept from the earth.
On that vast treeless, trackless desert but
two objects could be seen-one man rid
ing slowly forward, and the other bird
that floated lazily along through the warm
air as if looking for tree, and not seeing
one it flew to the ground just in front OF
the horseman and burst into flood OF
sweetest melody.
1t was in the early morning, and the
sun was just rising in the east and send
ing his glorious light streaming over the
desolate waste and though it was still the
dull darkness of dawn where the horseman
was and the skies were leaden ne coulo
look away in the east and see the day COM
ing and see the brilliant crimson sky. He
was soldier and a private. You could
tell that from the broad brimmed white
hat he wore, the coarse wooden shirt ana
the blue coat, upon which there were no
stripes to show that he had yet passed the
ranks. His face was covered with lux
uriant beard, and when he took of his hat
and raised himself in the stirrups you
could see that his forehead and his Dig,
heavy hands were bronzed from contact
with all kinds of weather.
Officers and men in forts who have never
been located on the frontier, or worse,
Thousand miles from nowhere, to use a
popular army phrase, know but little OF
the trials of those hardy men away out IN
the mountains or ON the plains. There
is nothing there to break the monotony.
The same faces are seen every day, and
the routine of fort life becomes drearler
with each setting of the sun Occasionally
a friend of one of the officers or of their
wives comes out, and the guest is well
coined as @ henediction from heaven, but
the men in the ranks have no visitors, and
their lives become as monotonous and Tire
some as the life of a hermit.
The fort from which the private came
was located back of him 20 miles and stood
alone on the plain which stretched away
from it for apparently countless miles,
without even pocket or a buffalo wal
low to break it's levelness. But the fort
was excited now A band of Indians, led
by Young Horse, had broken away from
the agency and had started across country
with no special place for it's destination,
wandering collection of murderers and
plunderers, seeking, like "a vulture, some
thing to rob, kill, destroy, and the COM
manding officer had sent out his SCOUTS to
locate them, return and lead the cavalry
to where they were located. The private
occasionally got off his horse to walk bit
and listen, or he stood up in the saddle,
and with his feldglass swept the plain for
a sight of the red desperadoes.
IF these red devils go east, they will
surely strike the main trail for the FORT
he said, speaking aloud-a habit SO many
frontiersmen have-''an if am not mis-
taken a sister of Mrs. Colonel is coming
out to the fort for a visit. But l don't
suppose she will be along for week yet.
It'll be tough luck if she gets to the station
over on the railroad now while every
available man is out after those cursed In
dams"
1t was thought which troubled him,
for he spoke of it to himself several times
AS the sun rose higher UP in the heavens,
the semidarkness lifted, and the bright
sunlight streamed over the bleak plain
and in the clear air objects were visible
many miles away Standing up in his
saddle, the private took his glass ano
looked a long way, and there saw thfee
objects moving rapidly along.
Notwithstanding the great risk he was
mourning, he rode forward slowly, the OBJ
ject being not to tire his horse, for the an.
imal might have a long and hard run ahead
of him. Soon he was enabled to study the
three objects closer through his glass.
There are two men and woman, he
said. ''I'n bet Mrs Colonel's sister has
arrived and is making for the fort, and one
of the men is the post1nan and the other g
guard. By Jove, that's pluck for her te
start. ~
He spurred his horse forward, but the
others had seen him coming and were
resting, awaiting for him to come up.
The woman was young and pretty, and as
the private came up she laughed gayly.
II suppose you have been sent out tt
meet me, (" she said. II am Mrs. Colonies
sister, and I wrote her that I would arrive
at the station yesterday, but no one me-
me. These gentlemen, learned, were go
ing to the fort, and SO I decided to Joi1
them.
1T is a very long and tiresome ride
miss said the soldier, land you are ye
nearly 30 miles from the fort -
II don't mind the ride replied tn
young lady, for I am very fond of thi
sort of exercise.
The four started on a brisk trot, and II
few minutes the postman dropped bacl
with the private.
do you think there is any danger from
the Indians?'' he asked.
''There's always danger from the ret
devils when they get started, answered
the soldier. You know we last heard o
the Indians 40 miles north. That was da.
before yesterday By this time they ma,
be making for the settlement and if SO W
will probably get a distant sight of 'em.
II shouldn' think they d come near us i
Ghey did, J" remarked the postman, for W
are riding straight for the FORT and don
think they want to come near there. :"
They'd be safe enough, " laughed tn
private, for in this cursed country the,
could see a long way and could see tn
cavalry was not near. They might be evel