The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-02

10 De There. 1Hey u 1OISlNe LIE lOT stay ing
here for the honor of the Seventh, and a
sure thing of fight, but nothing less, and
the colonel says there's no fight here-only
another surround and capture and escort
home. Why, Big Roads drunkr'
GAY, ay, sorr; and if the colonel was
Irish. as was him that preceded him-by
brevet, and how, and the love of livery
Irishman in the Twelfth-hed know that
an Indians never SO full OF fight as whin
he's full of whisky. There isn't room in
Big Roads skin for another noggin', sorr.
His people viii drag him after the village.
The cowboys will Jump them up the
range It'll bring on a general row, and
our carbines will be cracking along
Trooper Creek by MONDAY tomorrow or
I'm worse than a Jew-Im a bureau
agentr'
How'd you get out here, anyway?
You're in Captain Leale's troop"
True, sorr but the colonel put me on
iewty wild the few Indians that's left since
Crow knife died, and by regimental orders
I'm temporariously a Sioux sergeant. It's
an Irishman over the Indian. That's
poetic justice, sorr-the green above the
red"
''May you win the chevrons this night in
your own troop, Terry, and I'll send you
the handsomest pair to be made in New
York. Good-by, old friend. Take care of
them-all. | must ride back now"
And so with one long clasp of the hand
the two friends and fellow-c ampaigners,
oddly mated, yet closely allied, turned
slowly away from one another, Rorke to
take up once again his post of duty, Orms-
by to mount, and, riding in silence past
the shivering groups of soldiers budding
ahNnf their hOrSpS and danainy and cto
ing to keep from freezing, to HE him back
to the fort ana for a parting word with
VIII.
Far up on the snow-mantled bluff the
rudy night lights were burning in the
colonel's quarters. Far above them the
brilliant stars were twinkling in the sky.
Over across the stream the bale fires
burned like wreckers' Turing signals on
the shore among the dingy cluster of
wooden shacks, where Bunko Jim had I'M
disputed sway. Away out northward,
across the frozen steppe, there sounded
once in while some bacchanalian whoop,
for savages red ana sayages dirty white
were riding in parallel parties and begin
ming now to shout drunken defiance at one
another over the intervening mile. Be
hind him, as he swiftly rode, Ormsbv
could hear with increasing frequency the
whoops and yells of Big Roads stragglers,
still anchored south of the Platte but evil
IDENTIFY getting slowly under way Then,
straight ahead, up along the plateau, in
ringing, fearless tone, the sentries began
their midnight call, and all the valley re-
echoed to the stirring assurance that, as
far as Frayne and its sleeping populace
was concerned, it was II o'clock and all
well.
And then somewhere across the stream
among that cluster of ramshackle novels
there hared a sudden light, single in
Simultaneous flash, followed in few seconds
by loud bang that revived the echoes of
the watch cry, just as the last, in faint
aerial ripple, seemed dying miles away,
and then Jack Ormsby struck spurs to his
horse and galloped to the post. Even
though no answer came from the sentries
on the bluff, he knew that shot was no
empty, meaningless, reckless deed. 1t
was signal to some distant watcher and
was answered, just as Ormsby expected,
by faint, far-away crack of rifle, miles
perhaps, to the silent north.
A corporal came running to meet and
Identify him when he was halted by the
westward sentry on No. 8.
Have they started, sir?' asked he.
Yes; all but few are gone. What are
the lights aboutP Anything astir at the
post?"
* Troop ordered right out, sir. The
wires quit working twenty minutes ago,
and they're cut along the railway to the
east
Throwing himself from his horse when
he reached the colonels quarters, Ormsbv
hastened in and found that energetic war
nor saying things that impelled Aunt Lou
TO stop her ears and lift up a plaintive
voice In vain protest. The adjutant was
there, sympathetic listener, however, and
the orderly had gone for the officer of the
day-the official who, next to the adiutant.
was always sure to be summoned when
anything of unusually exasperating char.
acter had happened.
did you ever know anything more con-
temptuously jmpudent in your life, Jack?''
said his uncle. "They've let me wear
these wires hot sending all manner of pray
ers TO be allowed TO do something. and.
Just so long as the replies were orders not
TO interfere, our friends and fellow-citizens
have let them through. Now, the moment
the tide begins 70 turn, and the agent or
the general, or somebody eise has lucid
interval, and things begin coming our
way, they find il out and climb the wires.
How could they find it outz Why, they
nave more friends at court than we ever
could hope to have. I'll bet siz months
pay the order for US TO move Is sizzling in
the snow somewhere east Of CANYON
Springs. I've sent half a dozen of the best
light riders in K Troop east 70 find the
break, but 1t will be broad daylight before
a word can reach us, and by that time that
whole outfit will be at Trooper Creek.
Were there any left W hen you came away?"
Just few, sir. They've been supplied
with whisky from Bunko Jim's, I fancy.
and some OF them seem very drunk. Far.
weel thinks the village is strung out over
as much as dozen miles. You heard that
shot few minutes ago, did your"
"The sentry did and reported it-No. s.
and he said there were others far to the
north. I'm told that there isn't a man left
in that hell hole across the creek-all gone
to take part in some prearranged scrap
with Big Roads people and here we are
powerless to do thing"
"Well," said Ormsby after moments
reflection, ION general principles don't
you think it rather good thing to let
them scrap? 1t will only result in uum-
Der of very Objectionable characters, red
and white both, being cleaned out and for
once the Twelfth will have no losses TO
mourn. I'd let 'em fight and say, bless
you, my children, if 1 had anything to do
with it,"
''Oh, so would I, if weren't a regular
and therefore blamed, no matter which
way the thing goes. If the Indians get
the worst of it, the Interior Department,
the peace societies, the Y. NJ. c. AS, and
God knows how many other pious peo-
pie all over America will be bowling,
Abolish the army, for looking on and