Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-02

Full thirty, sir, and every man
armed with rifle as far as 1 could
see," said Carey, land if it was us
they was after, they'd have had us at
their mercy down in that pocket at
the Springs"
A shout from one of the men at
tracted the attention of the lead
ers. The storm had spent its
force and gone rolling away eastward
The thunder was rumbling far over
toward the now invisible crest of the
Black Hills of Wyoming. The rain
sheets had given place to trickiing
downpour. A dim light was stealing
into the blackness of the gorge.
Louder and fiercer roared the Box
Elder, flashing its banks with foam.
And then came the cry again.
II tell you it is, by God! for there
goes another"
All eyes followed the direction of the
pointing finger. All eyes saw, even
though dimly, the saddled form of
horse plunging and struggling in the
flood, making vain effort to Chamber
out, then whirling helplessly away
swept out of sight around the shoulder
of the bluff, and borne down on the toss
ing waves of the torrent. Men mean
no irreverence when they call upon
their Maker at such times, even in SOL
der oath. 1t is awe, not blasphemy.
by God, lieutenant, that's what we'd
a-been doing but for your order" 1t
was the sergeant who spoke.
And at that very hour there was ex-
citement at Fort Emory. AT eight
o'clock the colonel was on his piazza
looking with gloomy eyes over the dis
tant rows of empty barracks. The
drum-major with the band at his heels
came stalking out over the grassy pa
rade, and the post adjutant, girt with
sash and sword belt, stood in front of
his office awaiting the rgeant-major,
who was unaccountably delayed. Re-
duced to shadow the garrison at Fort
Emory might reasonably have been ex-
cused, by this time, from the ceremony
of mounting a guard, consisting prac-
tically of ten privates, three of whom
wore the cavalry jacket; but old Peck
sniff was determined to keep up some
show of state. He could have no pa
rade or review, but at least he could re-
quire his guard to be mounted with all
the pomp and ceremony possible. He
would have ordered his officers out in
epaulets and the full dress "Kossuth"
hat of the period but epaulets had
been discarded during the war and not
yet resumed on the far frontier. So
the rank and file alone We're called
upon to appear in the black-fea thered
oddity a misguided staff had designed
as the headgear of the army. Peck
shifts" half dozen doughboys, therefore,
with their attendant sergeants and
corporals in the old fashioned frock
and felt, and still smaller squad of
troopers in yellow-trimmed jackets
and brass-mounted forage caps. were
drawn up at the edge of the parade
awaiting the further signal of adju-
tant's call, while the adjutants himself
swore savagely and sent the orderly
on the run for the ergeant-maior.
When the clock-governed functionary
was missing something indeed must be
going wrong.
Presently the orderly came running
back.
"Sergt. Dineen isn't home, sir, and
his wife says he hasn't been back since
the lieutenant sent him to town with
the last Dispatch
'1rell the first sergeant of B COM
pany, then, to act as sergeant-maj or at
once" said the adjutant, and hurried
ayeg TO his colonel. sDineen'&nat back,