The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-07

passed in low tone from front to rear.
"Silence nowl No noise, men. Stand to
horsep' were the muttered cautions and
then once again the foremost officers
gathered in little group about the two
refugees.
well fight with you gladly. Count US
in, said one of them, refreshed by long
pull at Ormsby's flask. "But that sneak
that slipped away would see you all in hell
first. He's a fugitive in more senses than
one. That mans fleeing from the law"
"How do you know? Have you any idea
who he is and where he came from ?"
asked Captain Leale. 81 didn't see his
face, but somewhere before this day I've
seen his back"
on his way to the Black Hills when the In
dams jun ped the reservation and cut us
off. He's been afraid to go ahead and
afraid to go back, and he's just been stay
ing there with US; seemed to have plenty
of money but there amt white man left
alive from here to the South Cheyenne
now.n
And then in silent respect the group
opened and made way for the gray mus
tached soldier who rode slowly into their
midst and addressed them in low, quiet
tones:
Look to your men and horses, gentle
men. Large as that village is, | think that
all the warriors are not there, and our best
plan will be to attack before they can send
and call in those who are watching the
pursuing column. We will attack at once. "
CHAPTER III.
The snow was falling now in a dense
white mist, powdering boards and broad
6rlmmed campaign hats and silvering the
dusty black of the fur caps of the men.
OBJECTS ttty feet away were invisible, and
all sounds muff1ed by the soft, feecy
blanket that everywhere covered the earth.
Silently, yet with soldierly alertness, the
officers fastened to look quickly over their
troops. Silently the veteran colonel
turned once more TO the front and rode a
few yards out beyond the head of column
arf sat there on his horse, white
nantled statue, peering intently through
the slowly falling fakes
I'VE move the moment Bat gets back, "
murmured the adjutant to Captain Leale.
he crawled out to locate the herds and
pick our way. There are some cross
gullles beyond that ridge and down near
the village. Bat says he feels sure most OF
the warriors are miles away to the east,
but-there are enough and to spare right
here"
is Kill Eagle still to be given a chance
to surrender asked Leale. "That was
the understanding at one time, wasn't it?"
That was it--yes, and Bat was to hail
as soon as we deployed within striking dis
lance. Unless some scouts or the ponies
ma US out we can creep up under this
snow cloud to within few yards, and
they II be none the wiser. The colonel
hoped that the show of force would be
ample and that the old scoundrel would
throw up the sponge right here, butt
don t know" he added doubtfully eff
only the women and children weren't in
that village, it would be simple enough
we could pitch in and double them up be-
tore they knew what struck them AS it
IS" and here the young officer broke off
with wave of the hand that meant
volumes of doubt Then he turned and
looked eastward again to where, silent and
statuesque still, Colonel Farrar was seated
on old Roderick
The same thought seemed to occur to
both officers at the same instant. Ormsby,
once more testing the lock of his revolver
and narrowly observing his new comrades
remarked it at the same time and spoke of
it often thereafter
Cant you make him keep well back p"
asked Leale.
"Won you remind the chief he oughtn't
to be in front?" asked the adiutant.
And then each shook his head. as though
realizing the impOssibility of getting their
old war-horse of colonel to take q posi-
ton where he would be less exposed to the
fire of the Indian marksmen.
you might give him a tip. Ormsby, ;"
said the adjutant, in the CHEEKY confidence
OF the comradeship a few DAYS campaign
ing engenders. "You are his nuest. not
his subordinate. Tell him what the Sew