The Irish standard., 1900-12-08

heap BETTER" was his comment, and
nothing but brand new brcech-
loaders would serve his purpose.
!'romisc them and he'd see what could
be done to restrain his young men.
But they were pretty mad," he said,
and couldn't be relied upon to keep
the peace unless sure of getting better
arms and ammunition to help them
break it next time. 1t was only tenn
porizing. 1t was only encouraging the
veteran war chief in his visions of pow
! CT and control. The commissioners
came back beaming. "Every thing satis-
factorily arranged. Red Cloud and his
people are only out for big hunt"
Eut officers whose wives and children
prayed fcarfully at night within the
puny wooden stockadcs, and listened
trembling to the howls and tom-toms
OF the dancing Indians around the
council fires in the neighboring valleys,
wished to heaven they had left those
! Dear ones in safety at their eastern
/ homes-wished to heaven they could
that it was too late. Only as single
spies, riding by night, hiding by day,
were courers able to get through
from the Big Horn to the Platte. OF
scouts and soldiers sent at different
times since the middle of May, seven
We're missing, and never, except
through vague boastings of the In
'dians, were heard of again.
''lt is Il trcacherous truce, I tell you,"
said Folsom, with grave, anxious face,
to the colonel commanding Fort En-
Dry. 81 have known Red Cloud 20
years. Hes only waiting few weeks
to see il the government will be fool
enough to send them breech-loaders.
II it does, he'll be all the better able
to fight Il little later on. If it doesn't
he will make it his casus bclli."
1t was nearly 800 miles by the wind
ing mountain road from Gate City to
Warrior Gap. Over hill and dale and
mountain pass the road ran to Frayne,
thence. fording the North Platte, the
wagon trains, heavily guarded, had to
drag over miles of dreary desert, over
shadclcss slopes and divides to the dry
wash of the Powder, and by roads
s1ecp in alllnli dust and sage brush to
Cantonment Reno, where far to the
west the grand range loomed up
against the sky--another long days
march away to the nearest foothills,
to the nearest drinkable water, and
then, 40 miles further still, in the heart
Of the grand pine-covered heights, was
the rock-bound gateway to Il lovely
park region within, called by the
Sioux some wild combination of al
most unpronounceable syllables, which,
freely translated, gave us Warrior
Gap, and there at last accounts,
strengthened by dctachmcnts from
Fraync and Reno, the little command
of fort builders worked away, AK in
hand, rifle at hand, subjected every
hour to alarm from the vcdettes and
pckets posted thicl>ly all about them,
pickets who were sometimes found
stone dead at their posts, transfixed
with arrows, scalped and mutilated,
and yet not once had Indians in any
force been seen by officers or man
about the spot since the day Red
Clouds whole array passed Brooks
troop on the Reno trail, peaceably
hunting buffalo. can divil sowl in
the outfit" said old Sergt. Shaughnes.
sy, "that hadn't his tongue in his
cheek"
For three months that hard-worlled
troop had been afield, and the time
had passed and gone when it's young
first lieutenant had hoped for leave
to go home to see the mother and Jess
His captain was still ailing and unfit
for duty in saddle. lie could not and
would not ask for leave at such q
time, and yet at the very moment when
he was most earnestly and faithfully
doing his whole duty at the front
slander was busy with his name long
miles at the rear. ...
Something was amiss with Burleigh
said his cronies at Gate City. lie hat
come hurrying back from the hills
had spent day in his Office and not 9
cent at the club, had taken the night
express unbckno IN to anybody but
his chief clerk, and gone hurrying
eastward. 1t was a time when his
services were needed at the depot, too
Supplies, stores, all manner of ma
terial were being freighted from Gate
City over the range to the Platte ant
, beyond, yet lie had wired for aut uthority
to hasten to Chicago on urgent per
sonal affairs, got it and disappeared
, Ayoung regimental quartermasterw was
ordered in from Emory to take charge
of shipments and sign invoices during
Burleigh's temporary absence, and th'
, only other officer whom Burleigh hat
| seen and talked with before his star
was the venerable post commander
One after another the few cavalry
, troops (companies) on duty at Emor.
had been sent afield until now onl,
one was left, and three days after Bur
leigh started there came Il dispatch
from department headquarters direct
ing the sending of that one to Frayn'
at once. Capt. Brooks troop, owing
: to the continued illness of it's com
lnander, would be temporarily with
drawn and sent back to Emory to re
place it.
, Marshall Dean did not know whether
, to be glad or sorry. Soldier from tol
I to toe, he was keenly enjoying tn
} command of his troop. He gloried i,
$ mountain scouting, and was in his ele
ment when astride spirited horse
), Then, too. the air was throbbing will
3, rumors of Indian depredations alons
y the northward trails, and everything
ro;,toI {o orv m n