The Princeton union., 1900-11-01
CHAPTER XVI-COntinued.

L
Five minutes later, on borrowed
horse, John Folsom was galloping like
mad for his home. A door in the
high board fence at the rear of his
house shot open just as he was dart
ing through the lane that led to the
stable. A woman's form appeared in
the gap-the last thing that he saw
for dozen hours, for the horse SHE'D
violently, hurting the rider headlong
to the ground.
At three o'clock in the morning,
while the stars were still bright in
the eastern sky, the little party of
troopers, Dean at their head, had
ridden away from the twinkling lights
of camp, and long before sunrise had
crossed the first divide to the north,
and alternating trot, lope and walk
had put miles between them and Fort
Emory before the drums of the in
fantry beat the call for guard mount
ing.
At ten o'clock the party halted un-
der some spreading willows, deep
In a cleft of the bold, high hills that
rolled away toward the Sweetwater
valley. Horses were unsaddled and
picketed out to Craze. A little cook
fire was started close to the spring
that fed the tiny brook, trickling
away down the narrow ravine, and in
few moments the aroma of coffee
and of appetizing slices of bacon greet
ed the welcoming nostrils of the hun
cry men. The sun that had risen
clear and dazzling was now obscured
by heavy masses of clouds, and time
and again Dean cast anxious eyes
aloft, for a storm seemed sweeping
eastward from the distant Wahsatch
range, and long before the little COM
mand had dived downward from the
heights into the depths of this wild,
romantic and contracted valley, all
the rolling upland toward Green river,
far to the west, lay under the pail of
heavy and forbidding banks of hur-
rying vapor. Coffee and breakfast fin
ished, Dean climbed the steep bluff
overhanging the spring, faithful
sergeant following, and what he saw
was sufficient to determine immediate
action.
Saddle up Wen push ahead at
once"
For an instant the veteran trooper
looked dissent, but discipline pre-
vailed.
THE lieutenant knows that Carey's
not in yet, he ventured to say, as he
started back down the narrow game
trail which they had climbed.
"Yes; but yonder he comes and so
does the storm. We can't be caught in
this canyon in case of a hard rain
Let Carey have some coffee and a bite,
If he feels well enough. Then we'll
push on
Ordinarily when making summer
marches over the range, the first "wa-
ter camp" on the Sweet-water trail
was here at Canon Springs. On the
road to Frayne, which crossed the
brook ten miles to the east, all wagon
trains and troops not on forced march
made similar camp. In the case of
scouting detachments or little parties
sent out from Emory, it was always
customary to spend the first night and
make the first camp on the Box Elder
at furthermost, then to push on,
ready and refreshed, the following
day. Dean well knew that to get the
best work out of his horses he should
start easily, and up to nine o'clock he
had fully intended to make the usual
camp at the Springs. But once be-
fore, within few years, big scout
ing party camping in the gorge of the
Box Elder had been surprised by one
of those sudden, sweeping storms. and
before they could strike tents, pack
up and move to higher ground, the
stream took matters into it's own
hands and spared them all further
trouble on that score, distributing
camp and garrison equipage for long
leagues away to the east. Two miles
back, trooper Carey, who had been
complaining Of severe cramp and pain
In the stomach, begged to be allowed
to fall out and rest awhile He was a
reliable old soldier when whisky was
not winning the upper hand, and this
time whisky was not at fault A dose
of Jamaica ginger was the only thing
their field pharmacopoeia provided
and Carey rolled out of his saddle and
doubled up among the rocks with hia
hands on the pit of his stomach
grimacing.
"Go back if you think best, or come
ahead and catch us at the Springs ii
we'll enough" were the orders left
him, while the men pushed on, and
now, as the lieutenant said, Carey was
coming. himself. Some of the party
we're already doing when the ser
geant's sharp order Saddle up" was
given, but glance at the lowering
sky explained it all, and every man
was standing to horse and ready wher
the missing trooper came jogging il
among them, white, peaked, but de
termined. A look of mingled disap
pointment and relief appeared on hi!
face as he saw the preparations fol
the start, but his only comment was
II can make it, sir" as he saluted hi,
young commander. Less than twt
hours from the time they unsaddled
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