The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-19

booming and reverberating from earth
to heaven and rolling away, peal after
peal, down the bluff-bound canyon. For
a moment no other sound could be
heard; then, as it died away and the
rain came washing down in fresh de-
luge, Carey's voice overmastered the
storm.
That's struck something, sir, right
around yonder by the springs. God
help that outfit that came a-gallopin'
after meI'
"What was It? Which way were
they going?" Dean managed to ask.
Right along the bluff, sir, to the
over from the old camp on the F'rayne
road, There was twenty-five or thirty
Of EN- should say, coming at a. LOPEZ.
Cavalry" asked Dean, queer look
In his face.
mo, sir. They rode dispersed like.
They was a mile away when I sighted
them, and it was gittin' SO black then
I don't think they saw me at all. They
were bout off yonder, half a. mile east
Of the Springs when 1 dipped down into
the ravine, and what seemed queer was
that two of them galIoped to the edge,
dismounted, and were peering down
into the gorge like so many Indians,
just as though they didn't want to be
seen. I was goin' to tell the lieutenant
bout it first thing if I had found our
fellows off their guard, but you were
all mounted and just starting"
Instinctively Dean put forth his hand
under the dripping poncho and tugged
at the straps of his off saddle-bag. No
need for dread on that score. The
bulky package, wrapped, sealed and
corded, was bullying out Of the side of
his field pouch till it looked as though
he had crammed cavalry boot into
its nav.
Thirty men-mounted?- Pho wagons
or-anything?" he anxiously asked.
Fully thirty, sir, and every man
armed with rifle as far as I could see,
said Carey, "and if it was US they was
after, they'd have had US at their mercy
down in that pocket at the Springs
A shout from one of the men attract
ed the attention of the leaders. The
storm had spent its force and gone
rolling away eastward. The thunder
was rumbling far over toward the now
invisible crest of the Black Hills of
Wyoming. The rain sheets had given
place to trickling downpour. A dim
light was stealing into the blackness OF
the gorge. Louder and f1ercer roared
the Box Elder flashing it's banks with
foam. And then came the cry again.
IT tell you it is, by God! for there
goes another"
All eyes followed the direction OF the
pointing finger All eyes saw, even
though dimIy, the saddled form of
horse plunging and struggling in the
flood, making vain effort to Chamber
out. then whirling helplessly away
swept out of sight around the shoulder
of bluff, and borne on down the toss
ing waves of the torrent. Men mean no
irreverence when they call upon ther
Maker at such times, even In soldier
oath 1t is awe, not blasphemy
"By God, lieutenant, that's what Wed
a been doing but for your order. IL
was the sergeant who spoke.
And at that very hour there was ex-
element at Fort Emory. At O'Clock
the colonel was on his piazza looking
with gloomy eyes over the distant
rows of empty barracks. The drum
major with the band at his heels came
stalking out over the grassy parade.
and the post adjutant, girt with sash
and sword belt. stood in front of his
office awaiting the sergeant-major, who
was unaccountabIy delayed Reduced
to a shadow, the garrison at Fort En-
ory might reasonably have been eX-
cused, by this time, from the ceremony
of mounting a guard, consisting pract-
cally of ten privates, three of whom
wore the cavalry jacket; but old peck
sniff was determined to keep up some
, show of state. He could have no pa
rade or review, but at least he could
require his guard to be mounted with
| all the pomp and ceremony possible.
| He would have ordered his officers out
in epaulets and the full dress "Kos-
suth'' hat of the period, but epaulets
had been discarded during the war and
not yet resumed on the far frontier
So the rank and file alone were called
upon to appear in the blackfeathered
| n CT ha 6aSicTA6
as the headgear of the army. "Peck-
! shifts half dozen doughboys. there
fore. with their attendant sergeants
and corporals in the oldfashioned
! frock and felt, and a still smaller squad
of troopers in yellow trimmed jackets
and brass-mounted forage caps were
drawn up at the edge of the parade
awaiting the further signal of adju-
tant's call, while the adjutant himself
swore savagely and sent the orderly
on the run for the sergeant-major.
When that clock governed functionary
was missing something indeed must be
| going wrong.
Presently the orderly came running
! back.
Sergeant Dineen isn't home, sir, and
| his wife says he hasn't been back since
! the lieutenant sent him in town with
the last dispatch"
pany, then to act as sergeant-major at
| once" said the adjutant and hurried
! over to his colonel "Dineen's not back,
SIR he reported at the gate. Can
| anything be wrong?"
| Il ordered him to bring with him
the answer to my dispatch to the gen.
| eral, who wired to me from the rail-
way depot at Cheyenne Probably he's
been waiting for that, and the gen
| erals away somewhere. We ought
! to have an operator here day and
night" said Pecksniff petulantly. But
| the irritation in his eyes gave way
| to anxiety when at that moment the
| suffers buggy was seen dashing into
the garrison at headlong speed, his
| smart trotter urged almost to a run.
| Griggs refined up with no little hard
| pulling at the colonePs gate. and they
| could see dozen yards off that his
| face was pale.
Have you any idea, colonel" he
| began the moment the officers reached
him, where Maj Burleigh can. be?
| He left the depot somewhere about 8
! o'clock this morning with that Capt.
Newhall He hasn't returned and can't
| be found. Your sergeant-major was
waylaid and robbed some time after
midnight, and John Folsom was picked
| up senseless in the alley back Of his
house two hours ago. What does it all
mean?"
CHAPTER XVII.
| That storm burst along the range had
| turned for twenty-four hours every noun
! tain stream into a foaming torrent for a hun
| bred miles. Not q bridge remained along the
Platte Not a ford was fordable within two