The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-01-21

speak, between the fort and the Indian
village, but the emissaries of Ben
Thorpe had been busily at work. Big
Road and his warriors had been hidden
to attend the stately funeral of their
kinsman and friend, Grow Knife, on the
morning after Christmas, and had flock
ed to the scene and lifted up their
mournful chant when the volleys flash
ed and the crowd Of attendant soldiers
bowed their heads in mingled homage
and sorrow That was as it should be,
but what did it mean that his slayer
should then be accorded equal honors-
aye, that more officers chiefs were
present at Graice's grave than when the
son of Brule warrior was laid to rest?
This they could not fathom, and this,
| despite the strained relations that had
resulted in the death of Laramie Pete,
the cowboy emissaries proved eager to
explain in their own way and to explain
i to attentive ears.
"Old Fenton thought he'd done me
when he moved that bloody band up
here to the fort" said the COW boy king
to his admiring audience over at the
saloon across the Platte. eff don t pay
him off with compound interest withini
the month and make him wish he hadn't
monkeyed with my business, call me-
coyote. He and the stuck up gang he
heads will wish to God they'd left those
Indians where they were. !"
And five days after Christmas Colonel
Fenton heard of goings on within the
/ hot I, %o
his adjutant and officer of the day, to
double his sentries on every front and
to realize how much in these few years
he had learned to lean for counsel and
support on Malcolm Lea]e; for now the
colonel was forbidden, as was everybody
else, to see him even for moment.
Not only had the flash of the explosion
wrecked his eyesight, but there was
grave reason to fear that he had inhaled
the flame. Captain Lcale was suffering
torment, yet bearing his burden without
moan.
A troubled man was the veteran post
surgeon all that woeful week. Ellis
Farrar, delirious in burning fever, Nal
colin Lea1e PROSTATE Oh bed of pain,
blind and breathing only in agoniZed
| gasps, Mrs. Farrar ? olsing SO fragile
and weak that it seemed as though a
breath might blow away the feeble
flicker of her life, others of the women
more or less overcome and shocked by
the events of the last few days, and now,
right in the midst of it all, came indi-
cations of trouble in the Indian village
up the stream-powwowing speech
making and dancing by night, runners
fitting to and from the Big Horn, mes
sengers darting in from other tribes
and when Fenton sent for Big Road to
come into the office and explain the
chief temporized, expressed himself as
suspicious of some plot to separate him
from his people and to hold him as
hostage at the fort.
If Colonel Fenton desired to talk, let
Colonel Fenton come to the council
lodge at the village, but leave his sol
diers behind. Big Roads old men had
seen visions and had heard warnings,
his medicine chiefs had been signaled
by the Great Spirit, his young men were
excited and alarmed, his women were
weeping and gathering their children
to their knees. If the white chief meant
peace and friendship, let him show it
by coming to his lodge with gifts in his
hands instead of guns. He (the white
chief) was rich, and his horses and his
young men were fat and strong. Big
Road was poor and his people were
hungry and cold, his ponies dying. Fen
ton indeed would have gone with only
! liz
gle orderly but for the warning of a
Brule girl who had left her people a
few years before to follow soldier low
er and had made her home among the
whites, a patient, sorrowing woman,
ever since his untimely death The
Amorys had provided for her in every
way, for the soldier was one of the cap.
tain's troop, and she had grown deeply
attached to them, even though now &C.
casionally visiting her kindred.
It was at luncheon, talking to his
wife, that Amory told Of Colonel Fen
ton s purpose Of riding over to the vii
lage that very afternoon, and the story
was repeated in the kitchen, where it
reached the ears of the Indian girl In
an instant she had darted out of the
house and gone to the colonel's, where
she frightened Lucretia out of her seven
senses with the first words she uttered
''They kill the COLONEL He no go!''
Luckily, Wayne was at hand to soothe,
support and explain. Other officers were
sent for, and, despite Fenton's pooh
pooling, SO strong were their arguments
that at 2 O'Clock messenger was dis
patched to Big Roads bailiwick to tell
him the colo1A had heard that which
made him say to the Indian chief that
now the only way i'll which he would
meet him would be at the adjutant' g
office, as originally proposed, or else
alone and unarmed midway between
the fort and the village, no soldiers or
warriors being allowed to approach
within 200 yards, unless, indeed, Big
Road himself should propose an adju-
tant for each. If this was satisfactory,
let the time be set for O'Clock and
Fenton would be there
The half breed messenger came back