The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-05-05

from the orderly throb and roar of
movement on parade or the rough horse.
play Of watering in camp--made them
only more terrified They felt that the
men on theii backs were afraid of some.
thing When horses once know that
all is over except the butchery.
Troop after troop turned from the
troughs and ran-anywhere and every
where-like spilled quicksilver II was
most extraordinary spectacle for men
and horses were in all stages Of easiness,
and the carbine buckets Topping against
their sides urged the horses on Men
were shouting and cursing and trying
TO pull clear of the bond which was be-
ing chased by the drum horse, whose
rider had fallen forward and seemed to
be squirting for a wager
The colonel had gone over to the mess
for a drink. Most of the officers were
with him, and the subaltern of the day
was preparing to go down to the lines
and receive the watering reports from
the troop sergeant majors When Take
Me to London Again stopped after 20
bars, every one in the mess said, "What
on earth has happened2" A minute
later they heard unmilitary noises and
saw far across the plain the White hus-
sars scattered and broken and flying
The colonel was SPECIFICS with rage,
for he thought that the regiment had
risen against him or was unanimously
drunk The band, disorganized mob,
tore past, and at its heels labored the
drum horse-the dead and buried drum
horse-with the jolting, Gathering skel-
eton. Hogan Yale whispered softly to
Martyr, RIO wire will stand that treat
ment, and the band, which had don
bled like hare, came back again. But
the rest of the regiment was gone, was
rioting all over the province, for the
dusk had shut in, and each man was
howling to his ueighbor that the drum
horse was on his flank Troop horses
are far too tendeTly treated. as Il rule
They can on emergencies do great
deal, even with II stone on their backs,
as the troopers found ont
How long this panic lasted ! cannot
say believe that when the moon rose
the men saw they had nothing to fear
and by twos and threes and half troops
crept back into environments very much
ashamed Of themselves Meantime the
drum horse, disgusted at his treatment
by old friends, pulled up, wheeled
round and trotted up to the mess We
randa steps for bread No one liked to
run. but no one cared TO 20 forward till
the colonel made movement and laid
hold of the skeleton : foot The band
had halted some distance away and
now came back slowly The colonel
called it, individually and collectively
every evil name that occurred to him
at the time. Ger he had set his hand ON
the bosom OF the drum horse and found
flesh and blood Then he beat the ket-
tledrums with his clinched fist and
discovered that they were but made of
silver paper and bamboo Next still
swearing, he tried to drag the skeleton
ont of the saddle. but found that it had
been wired into the camille The sight
Of the colonel with his arms round the
skeletons pelvis and his knee in the
old drum horse 5 stomach, was striking
not to say amusing He worried the
thing off in a minute or two and threw
it down on the ground, saying to the
band, Here, you ours, that's what
you re afraid Of The skeleton did not
look pretty in the twilight The band
sergeant seemed to recognize it, for he
began to chuckle and choke shall |
take ii away, sirY' said the band ser
geant. Yes, said the colonel, take il
to hell and ride there yourselvesl"
The hand sergeant saluted, hoisted
the skeleton across his saddlebow and
led off to the stables Then the colonel
began to make inquiries for the rest OF
the regiment, and the language he used
was wonderful He would disband the
regiment, he would court martial every
soul in it. he would not command such
a set of rahble and so on and so on.
AS the men dropped in, his language
grew wilder until at last it exceeded
the utmost limits of free speech allowed
even to colonel of horse
Martyr took Hogan Yale aside and
suggested compulsory retirement from
the service as necessity when all was
discovered, Martyr was the weaker
man Of the two Hogan Yale put up his
eyebrows and remarked first, that he
was the son of lord, and. secondly.
that he was as innocent as the babe un.
born Of the theatrical resurrection OF
the drum horse.
MY instructions, said Yale, with Il
singularly sweet smile, "were that the
drum horse should be sent back as inn
pressively as possible. ask you, Am
responsible if a mule headed friend
sends him back in such a manner as tC
disturb the peace Of mind of regiment
of her majesty's cavalryT'
Martyr said, lyon are a great man,
and will in time become general, but
I'd give my chance of a troop to be safe
out of this affair
Providence saved Martyr and Hogan
Yale. The second in command led the
colonel away to the little curtained al