The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-07

were pale auQ his lips IW1tcnlng WITH
pent-up excitement.
II see the guidon is being unfurled.
Cramer,' said the Captain, quietly.
Perhaps Sergeant West wants to land
It first In the village, but tell hin TO
handle his revolver instead If we
charge" and, touching his fur cap, the
officer turned back. THE Colonel has
said nothing about the plan of attack.
We may be going to charge right In,
for all / know. Ha! Ormsby. there
comes the word"
Looming up through the snow, a young
German trooper rode rapidly back
toward the little group, and. refining in
his horse a few yards away, true to the
etiquette of the craft, threw his carbine
over his shoulder and started to dis
mount before addressing officers afoot.
but Leale checked him. Never mind
dismounting. orderly. h the mes
sage?"
The ColoneIs compliments, sir. and
he o wish to see Captain Leale a
minute, and the command will mount
and move slowly forward"
Instantly the group dissolved, each Off
Ger turning quickly to his horse and
swinging into saddle. No trumpet Sig
nal was given. Mount" said Ieale, in
the same quiet, conversational tone.
Mount" repeated the first sergeant,
halted alongside the leading set OF tours.
and, all in a few seconds, the burly
forms of the riders shot up into the
N0AJ Ai5 AA&CN0g aAAa 0N0Ay AAOAoSs - e~N
as eye could penetrate the mist, was
suddenly topped by an armed rider.
Then, first thing, the fur-gloved right
hands went up to the shoulder and drew
the muzzle through its socket. Then, in
the same soldierly silence. the horse
men edged in toward the center or each
set, and there sat, boot to boot. erect
n ready. One or two spirited young
horses began to paw the snow in their
imn9fipncQ and to snort pXC1tediV. The
adjutant trOtted briskly back along the
column in order to see that all tour
troops were similarly ready, cautioned
the rearward troop leaders to keep well
closed on the head of the column n
signaled Forward" while Leale dlsap-
peared in the snow clouds ahead.
Not knowing what else to do, Ormsby
ranged alongside the senior lieutenant
of Leale's troop as in perfect silence the
column bore steadily on. A few seconds
brought them in sight of the Colonels
form again, and he waved his hand
cheerily as though to say, "Al right.
lads; come on" Then, sitting Roderick
as squarely as ever, the gray-mustached
commander took the lead, a swarthy
half-breed Sioux scout riding on one
side, the grave, soldierly Captain Leale
on the other. The adjutant, the chief
trumpeter, sergeant major and order
lies fell in behind and the crack bat
talon of the old Twelfth rode noiSeleSS-
ly in to take position for the attack.
For perhaps a hundred yards they fol-
lowed the windings of the ravine in
which they had been concealed had con-
ceaIment been necessary. Then, turning
abruptly to his left as he passed a pro-
jecting shoulder, Little Bat looked back
and motioned to the Colonel, This
way And then the leading horsemen
began to ascend a gentle and almost
imperceptible slope, for the snow was
Sitting down so thick and fast that the
surface was invisible thirty feet ahead.
1--WE might ride square in among them
at this rate" muttered the sergeant
major to his friend, the chief trumpeter,
and never know it until we stumbled
into a tepee."
How far ahead is it," asked the lat
ter.
"A mile, they say. We'd be deployed
by this time if it were less"
Less than five minutes of gradual
ascent and the crest of the divide was
reached, and, one after another, every
horseman realized that he was then on
the downward slope of the eastern side.
Somewhere ahead, somewhere betWeen
this ridge and it's nearest ~neighbor lay
the hostile village, all unconscious of
foemen's coming, looking for d~isturbers
as yet only from the eastern side. Old
cavalrymen used to declare their horses
could smell an Indian village before the
sharpest eyes could sight it, and the
packers Swore the statement was true,
IF it were only made of the mule
1.-The Colonel knows. He hasn't for
gotten, you bet" was the comment, as
again the orderly rode swiftly rearward
with orders for the pack train to halt
just west of the crest, and then every
man seemed to know the village couldn't
be far ahead, and some hands went
nervously to the holster flaps, others
loosened the carbines in their leather
sockets and men took furtive peeps at
one another's faces along the shadowy
column and then at their officer, riding
SO confident and erect along the left
flank. And still no man could see more
than the depth of three sets of tours
ahead. Amt we going to disrnount
and go afoot?' muttered a young re-
cruit to his %neighbor. Il thought that
was the way we always did"
course. when one could see to
shoot and would be seen himself any
where within five miles," was the dis
dainful answer. "What'd be the good
of diSmOunting here?"
And now in places the horses plunged
deeper into the snow and tossed up
drifting clouds of feathery spray as the
column crossed some shallow rutS in the
eastward face, and then once more,
snakelike, it began to twist and turn,
following the track of those invisible
guides, n then it seemed to take to
evil courses and go spluttering down
into sharp, steeD-banked coulees and
scrambling out again on the other side,
and still the sure-footed horses tripped
nimbly On. and then presently, his eyes
a-twinkle, the adjutant came riding
back.
"Just half a mile ahead, Jimmy" he
murmured to the lieutenant riding in
Leale's place at the head of the first
troop. Form left front into line and
halt. I'll post the other troop"
Quickly the young officer reined out Of
column to the left about. Keep
straight to your front, leading FOUR he
cautioned. Then, barely raising his
voice and dropping for the time the con-
ventional commands of the drill book,
he rode back along the column, saying,
Left front into line,s until all the rear
ward tours were ~obliquing; then back
to the front he trotted, halted the lead
ing set, each of the others in succession
refining in and generally ~aligning itself,
all without a sound hat could be audi
BILE ten yards away Almost at the same
time the second troop headed diagonally
off to the left n presently rode up
into line with the first, while the third
and fourth were halted in similar forma-
ton at troop distance in the rear. by
all that's glorious, were going in
was the word that seemed
to thrill down along the line. The
were not going to wait-not going to