Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-01-03
FROM THB RANKS.
By CAPTAIN Charles King, q. S. A.
Copyright, 1894, by j. B. Lippincott q Go.

Copyright, 1894, by ]. B. Lippincott d 20.
CHAPTER XVII
Under the cloudless heavens, under the
starht skies, blessing the grateful dew
that cools the upland air and moistens
the bunch grass that has been bleach
ing all day in the fierce rays Of the sum-
mer sun, little column Of infantry is
swinging steadily southwark. Long
and toilsome has been the march; hot,
dusty and parching the day. Halts have
been few and far between, and every
man, from the colonel down, is coated
with a gray mask of powdered alkali,
the contribution Of two hours tramp
through Dead Mans canyon just before
the sun went down. Now, however,
they are climbing the range The NOR
row will bring them to the broad and
beautiful valley of the Spirit Wolf, and
there they must have news. Officers and
men are footsore and weary, but no one
begs for rest. Colonel Maynard, riding
ahead ON sorry hack he picked up at
the station two days long march behind
them, is eager to reach tho springs at
Forest Glade before ordering bivouac
for the night. A week agone no one
who saw him at Sablon would have
thought the colonel fit for march like
this, but he seems rejuvenate. His head
is high, his eye as bright, his bearing
as full of spirit as mans could possibly
be at 60, and the whole regiment cheered
him when he caught the column at
Omaha A talk with Chester and Ar
mitage seemed to have made new man
Of him, and tonight he is full Of an en-
ergy that inspires the entire command
Though they were farther away than
many other troops ordered to the scene,
the fact that their station was on the
railway, and that they could be sent by
special trains to Omaha and thence to
the west, enabled them to begin their
rescue march ahead of all the other foot
troops and behind only tho powerful
command of cavalry that was whirled
to the scene the moment the authorities
woke up to the fact that it should have
been sent in the first place. Old May
nard would give his very ears to get to
Thornton's corral ahead of them, but
the cavalry has S6 hours start and four
legs to two. Every moment he looks
ahead expectant of tidings from the
front that shall tell him the --th
were there and the remnant rescued.
Even then, he knows, he and his long
springfelds will be needed. The cavalry
can fight their way in to the succor of
the besieged, but once there will be
themselves surrounded and too few In
numbers to begin aggressive move
ments. He and his will indeed be well
come re-enforcements, and 80 they
trudge ahead.
The moon is up, and it is nearly 10
o'clock when, high up on the rolling
divide, the springs are reached, and,
barely waiting to quench their thirst in
the cooling waters, the wearied men roll
themselves in their blankets under the
giant trees, and guarded by few out
lying pickets are soon asleep. Most of
the officers have sprawled around lit
tie fire and are burning their boot
leather thereat. The colonel, his adju-
tant and the doctor are curled up under
tent fly that serves. by day as WI, !
for the rations and cooking kit they
carry on pack mule. Two company
commanders Alpha and Omega of
the 10, as Major Sloat dubbed them
the senior and Junior in rank, Chester
and Armitage by name, have rolled
themselves in their blankets under an
other tent fly and are chatting in low
tones before dropping off to sleep. They
have been inseparable on the journey
thus far, and the colonel has had two or
three long talks with them, but who
knows what the morrow may bring
forth? There is still much to settle. One
officer, he Of the guard, is still afoot
and rudging about among the trees,
looking after his sentries. Another Off
Ger, also alone, is sitting in silence
smoking a pipe. 1t is Mr.. Jerrold.
Cleared though he is of the charges
originally brought against him in the
minds of his colonel and Captain Ches-
ter, he has lost caste with his fellows
and with them. Only two or three men
have been made aware of the statement
which acquitted him, but every one
knows instinctively that he was saved
by Nina Beaubien and that in accept
ing his release at her hands he had put
her to a cruel expense Every man
among his brother officers knows in
some way that he has been acquitted of
having compromised Alice Renwick's
fair fame only by an alibi that CORE
spondingly harmed another. The fact
now generally known-that they were
betrothed and that the engagement was
openly announced-made no difference
Without being able to analyze his
conduct, the regiment was satisfied that
it had been selfish and contemplate,
and that was enough to warrant giving
him the cold shoulder. He was quick
to see and take the hint and in bitter
distress of mind to withdraw himself
from their companionship. He had
hoped and expected that his eagerness
tn on with them on the wild and sudden