The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-30
CHAPTER XVIII

Once more was the old post Of Fort
Russell left to the care of an infantry
guard. Once more were the troopers all
afield and rejoicing in the vigorous,
open air life they led among the billow.
ing foothills, the beautiful, sheltered
valleys and the sparkling streams Of
the Big Horn. A summer camp had
been established, and with this as the
rendezvous and rallying point Anterior
was keeping his stalwart horsemen
scouting far and near, from the Platte
at Fetterman to the Yellowstone away
to the north. But Indians were seldom
to be found. Sitting Bull and his starv-
ing followers were beyond the British
line, closely watched by the frontier
police. Crazy Horse was dead, bayonet.
ed in wild effort to escape from his
guard. Gall, Rain-in- the-Face and other
noiables of the Sioux Nation had fed fat
their ancient grudge against the white
soldier when Clusters hapless column
withered away before the fierce blaze of
their encircling fire.
~ Hao q Jul,
a veritable picnic in the heart of the
glorious country over which for two
years previous they rode only with
strong battalions, with scouts thrown
out in front, in rear, on every side,
looking any instant for attack in force
Some of the ladies had actually broken
up housekeeping at the fort and gone
those rough hundreds of miles in army
ambulances to join their lords in the
tented field, and life at Russell was in
ane and stupid.
But when the Indians drew away and
sought the shelter of the agencies the
''hustler' and the horse thief began to
Enfest the land. One night a dozen Of
Gregg's best horses-all of Sergeant
Donnelly's patrol-were spirited away
from the bivouac at the headwaters Of
the Mini Pusa and driven, an the trail
showed, away toward the Sweetwater
and there 1t was all split up and lost
among the breaks and ranges of the cat
tie kings toward Rawlins and Rock
Springs. Gregg boiled over with wrath
when three days later, nearly worn out,
his little squad OF troopers reached the
main camp afoot. Rays troop was Or
dered out at once and hidden to raid the
country far and wide until he found out
where those horses were gone, and Ath-
erton chose Ray because stockmen, cat.
tlemen, scouts and Indians all knew
him, and malefactors feared him, and
with Rays troop went Maynard, de-
tached at his own earnest request and
allowed to fill temporary vacancy.
ut will do you good, Maynard"
said the colonel kindly, land give you
some valuable experience. Yes. I'm
glad to have you CO."
It was mid-July. The summer heat
was fierce and the searching wind blew
pitilessly over the desolate sagebrush ,
deserts beyond the Devil Gate, and Ray ,
and his 30 loyal bluejackets had rid l
den long marches from the time they
left the cool shades of the Piney and the
Clear Fork. But little cared they, those
Arizona seasoned soldiers, for blistering
suns or sitting alkali dust. They were ]
bent on the recovery of those horses no /
matter though the thieves had three {
lays and nearly 100 miles the start. G
They had marched through the Sweet '
water valley the previous year and had
'een many a hard looking character who S
ongingly eyed their clean limbed bays. b
No man yet had ever ventured to Gift" t.
horse from Billy Rays picket, and it l.
ickled the vanity Of his troopers that c
hey and not Greggs should DO sent to
ecover Grcgg's horses. The trail
hough nearly five days old when found, d
vas still distinct, and Maynard was n
citing many an hour of valuable les P
ons, for Ray had taken more than a Fl
liking to the quiet, sad faced young d
elbow and had no difficulty at all in s,
eeply interesting him in the work. ii
in tho regiment seemed to il
now by this time that he had returned b
} them wearing the willow for Natha- c,
e Baird. There had been some days Of Il
'oeful, wordy battling at Russell. for o.
le feud between Mrs Gregg and Mrs 81
urper had involved others besides their