Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-13

CHAPTER V.
Che TIL had been having what Cap
tain Ray called a "poky" time most Of
that year and when Rays usually sun
Ivy nature clouded over something was
sure to be amiss with the professional
side Of the man. His domestic side was
perennial 10y. The regiment had known
many hard winter, many "a fierce sum
MGR manga sharp campaign and savago
buttlc. It's long exile IN Arizona in the
old days was full Of peril and suffering.
lis sometimes desperate encounters with
She red Warriors OF yhe northern plains
md mountains had made sad inruuds
N its membership. Its records Of casual
les embraced every conceivable catas-
irophe-death by sunstroke, starvation,
lpcMng, lightning, flood, fire, rattle
ualCs. explosions, thirst, arrow and
oiuahaWk, shot, sabor and shell. y
1rnceful year it never knew from the
lay Of its first muster on the plains Of
ErNas until IL quarter century after
when. mirabile dictu, there hadu { even
1cun horse thief to follow or al In
it occurred to a band of Cheyennes to
ride northward and call on some kin
bred up in the Powder river country,
md these children Of nature never
thought Of asking anybOdys leave. The
It'll had heen having. as Ray said, so
pOky time at Russo ll-juSt drilling,
drilling, drilling ON that wide sweep of
upland prairie, instead of scouting and
fighting through the mountains. their
normal summer recroatlun--that the
regiment shouted for very JOY when 1T
heard that sharp Knife, the young Hot
spur that headed the raid. had soundly
thrasEcd tho first detachment sent to
head him off. and, indignant at the dis
courtesy of the Great Father i'll essay
ing to curb his inclination to roam. was
helping nsolf to all the horned cattle,
horses and household goods that lay in
his way. not to mention few of the
households, and was careering onward
bound for big time in the Big Horn
mountains, Dragging to the northern
Cheyennes Of the fun be had had.
Then away went Colonel Anterior.
with Stannard and Mainwaring the old
and the new majors, and eight husky
troops, full tilt for the hills only to
find when they reached the broad valley
OF the Ska that Sharp Knife and his
snifty followers had crossed IS hours
ahead and We're circling westward across
the Little Missouri by that time. Never
Is a stern chase so long a chase as when
the Indian has the lead. The depart
ment commander followed by rail,
staRecoach and blackboard, and half tho
troops in the territories of Dakota Mon
tana and Wyoming were centering on
the Cheyennes when Sharp Knife cut
loose from all semblance Of a base and
took to the woods in earnest. His peo-
pie scattered to the four winds Some
bid among the northern bands of tho
same tribe, some slipped in among the
Sioux at the great reservations in Da-
kOta, others scattered far and wide,
broke up into little squads of three or
four ana even less and logged back by
circuitous routes to the southern plains
aud swQre they'd only been hunting
Wong the Arkansas. There's only one
creature that can beat an Indian-mur-
der one minute and look the image Of
uiety the neXt-and that's cat 1t
was "a poky summer" said Ray at
Russell. 1t was poor kind of CAMPAIGN
ing, said that same authority, but better
than none. 1t was the move that follow
ed that stirred the social fabric of the
-th to its foundations The regiment
had been stationed fCr some years at
~, 81. 4
hut the department commander decided
that he wanted Anterior and his season
ed campaiguers closer to the malcon-
tents, and, to the unspeakable-no
Observation-Disclosures Of nine-tenths
Of the ladies IN the til and the finan-
Clal though unGonfessed comfort Of
many Of their lords, the order was is.
sued that it should not return to Rus
sell, but direct its retrograde march on
the older, smaller, but Just now rather
more important post Of Fort Ransom.
Squeeze into quarters as best you
can, >" said the general chcertully, land
you won't mind crowding this winter
Well fit yOu out better i'll the spring. ="
Now, the winter was the time they
most objected to being crowded. for
then they had their friends from the
east and their social pleasures, did these
danes and damsels of the army, while
in summer the troops were almost al
ways afeld, and the women, those who
could afford it, went east. Few had
done so this year, because the regiment
was not sent ont for summer camp, and
when the Sharp Knife chase was or
dered it was too late in the season,
So the two battalions, then so called,
marched in to Ransom. Then, so many
at time, the officers were allowed to go
TO Russell to supervise the packing aud
shipment of their household goods,
while the quartermaster and other ser
geants did as much for the companies.
Mrs Atherton, with her lares and pona-
ties, was there at Butte to welcome the
regiment when it arrived. Mrs. Main.
waring, with her fair niece, Miss Lee
roy, was to have been there, but, as we
have seen, became involved in COLI
sion in the mountain division. The ma.
Jor hurried eastward to meet his help
mate at PaWnee, and there got full de-
tails Of the crash and sought among the
passengers for the Young man in the
ulster and travelling cap who had been
SO helpful in time of need, but he had
disappeared, said the conductor who
took Mr. Jarvis load, The last seen Of
him he was taking dinner at Ford S res.
taDrant will "a qou Y1la of ppV hCUS and "a