Willmar tribune., 1900-11-28

govern the movements of his horses and
men by the wishes of the senior staff Of
fetal. And SO they logged along per-
haps 20 minutes more, and then
there was sudden splutter and plunge
and stumble ahead, sharp pull on the
traces, a marvelously quick jerk back
on the reins that threw the wheel team
on their launches, and thereby saved
the ''outfit," for when men and matches
were hurried to the front the lead mules
were discovered kicking and spiashing
in mud hole. They were not only off
the road by dozen yards, but -ver a
bank two feet high.
And this last pound broke the back
of Burleigh's obstinacy. 1t was nea' ly
midnight anyway. The best thing to
be done was to unhitch, unsaddle and
sbivouac~ until the gray light of dawn
came peering over the eastward prai-
rie, which in that high latitude and
'',,ong-day'' month would soon be after
three. Then they could push on to
Reno.
Not until nearly eight o'clock in the
morning, therefore, did they heave in
sight of the low belt of dingy green
that told of the presence of stream
still long miles away; and here, know
ing himself togbe out OF danger, The
major bade, the weary escort march in
at walk while he hurried on. In Is
minutes the black-hooded wagon was
twisting and turning over the powdery
road good mile ahead, it's dust rising
nigh over the sage-covered desert, while
the other two, with the dust-begrimed
troopers, logged sturdily on. Loring,
the young engineer, had waved a cor
dial good-by to his old cadet acquaint-
ance. ''See you later, tod man." he
cried. Stone, the aid-de-camp, nodded
and said: ''Take care of yourself" and
Burleigh said nothing at all. He was
wondering what he could do to muzz.e
Loring in case that gifted young gradu~
ate were moved to tell what the e.quar-
termaster actually did when he heard
the rush and firing out at the front on
the road from Warrior Gap.
But when at last the black wagon
bowled mat the stockaded quadrangle
and discharged its occupants at the
hut of the major commanding, there
were tidings of such import to greet
them that Burleigh turned yellow
white again at thought Of the perils
they had escaped. .. <.
my God, mani" cried the post COM
mander, as he came hurrying out to
meet the party, "we've been in a. blue
funk about you fellows for two whole
days. Did you see any, Indians?"
''See any Indians!" said Burleigh, ral-
lying to the occasion, as became a
man who knew how to grasp an oppor~
tunity. I'VE stood off the whole Sioux
nation over toward Crazy Woman's
fork. There were enough to cover the
country, red and black, for a dozen
miles. We sighted them. yesterday
about four O'Clock, and there were
enough around us to eat US alive, but
we just threw out skirmish lines and
marched steadily ahead so they
thought best MOTTO bother us. They're
shy Of Our ,breech-loaders, damn 'em!
That's all5that kept them at respectful
distance e$
The majors face as he listened took
on puzzled, perturbed look. He did
not wish to say nything' thatemight
reflect on the opinions of so influential
a man as the depot quartermaster at
Gate City, but It was plain that there
was a trainafof : thought YT rumbling
through his fHind that would collide
with Burleigh's column Of events unless
he were spared the need Of answering
questions; ~"Let me tell You briefly
what's happened, ? he said .f:s:'"Red
Cloud and his. whole band are out on
the warpath, They killed two couriers,
half-breeds, IL sent out to find Thorn
tons troop that was scouting the Dry
Fork. The man we sent to find you
and give you warning hasn't got back
at all. We've had double sentries for
three days and nights. The only souls
to get in fromSthe northwest since our
fellows were run back last night are
old Folsom and Buptiste. olson had
q talk with. Red Cloud and tried to.in-
duce him to turn back. He's besetwith
the idea that ths old villain is plotting
ageneral massacre along the Big Horn.
He looks like q ghost. He says if we
had 5000 soldiers up there there'd
hardly be enough. You know the Sioux
have sworn by him for years, and he
thought he could coax Red Cloud to
keep but all the old villain would
promise was TO hold his young men
back ten days o.. So Until Folsom could