The Princeton union., 1900-10-04
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
Lieut.. Deans orders required that
he should march his troop without un
necessary delay to Fort Emory, there
to take station relieving troop F, or
dered to change to Frayne, which
meant, in so many words, to take the
field. Capt. Brooks, still wrestling with
the fever, had retired to his quarters
at the old frontier fort that stood so
long on the bluffs overlooking the fords
of the Platte. The surgeon said he
must remain in bed at least a week,
so meantime the troop packed up,
sent it's wagons ahead over the range,
bade God speed to F as it passed
through en- route to the front, ex-
changed a volley of chaff and chewing
tobacco over the parting game of
"freeze OUT fought to finish on
many an outspread saddle blanket,
then logged on toward Gate City,
making wide detour at the sug-
gestion of the field officer in CON-
mand at Frayne, that they might
scout the Laramie plains and see
that all was well at Folsom's ranch.
This detour was duly reported to the
peppery veteran at Fort Emory, an old
colonel whose command was by this
time reduced from headquarters, field,
staff and band," six companies of in
fantry and four troops of cavalry to
the band and two desperately over
worked companies of foot. 1.-TWO
nights in bed'' were all his men could
hope for, and sometimes no more than
one, so grievous was the guard duty.
Hence ''old Pecksniff," his adjutant and
quartermaster and his two remaining
companies saw fit to take it as most
unkind in Lieut.. Col. Ford to authorize
that diversion of Deans, and highly i'm
proper on Deans part to attempt it.
By this time, too, there was in cir
culation at Emory story that this
transfer of c to interior lines and
away from probable contact with the
Sioux was not so much that it had
done far more than it's share of that
arduous work, completely using up its
captain, as that, now the captain was
used up, the authorities had their
doubts as to the nerve" of the lieu
tenant in temporary command. A fel-
low who didn't care to come to Emory
and preferred rough duty up along the
Platte must be Lacking in some essen
tial particular, thought the women
folk, and at the very moment that
Marshall Dean sat there at Hal Fol-
SONS ranch, as brave and hardy and
capable young officer as ever forded
the Platte, looking forward with pleas
urable anticipations to those days to
come at Emory, with Jessie-Jessie
and, of course, Pappoose-so close at
hand in town, there was gaining
ground at the post an impression that
the safety of the board of officers sent
to choose the site of the new Big Horn
post had been imperiled by Deans
weakening at a critical moment in
presence of a band of probably hostile
Sioux. Burleigh had plainly intimated
as much to his chief clerk and Col.
Stevens, and When Loring and Stone
came through a day or two later and
questions were asked about that meet
ing, the aid-de-camp gave it as dis
tinctly to be understood that he had
practically assumed command, Deans
inexperience being manifest, and his
own prompt measures had extricated
the little detachment from most deli
cate and dangerous position. The en-
gineer, let it be said, did not hear this
statement, and the aid was very care
full not to make it in his presence. He
was comparative stranger, and as no
one presumed to question him he VOL
unteered no information.
Planning to bivouac until dawn of the
nextday at Folsom's, Dean had then in
tended to reach Fort Emory in three
easy marches. He was anxious to
bring his horses in in best possible con-
dition, despite all their hard service;
yet now, barely two o'clock on this hot
June afternoon, came most unlocked
for, most importunate interruption
to his plans. Springing to the gate at
the sergeant's summons, he first direct
ed his gaze to the distant peaks, recog-
nizedinstantly the nature of the smoke
puffs there rising, then turned for ex-
planation to the swift-riding courier,
whose horses heels were making the
dust fly from the sun-dried soil. One
ortwo ranch hands, with anxious faces,
came Fastening over from the corral.
The darky cook rushed up from the
Kitchen, rifle in hand. Plainly those
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