The Irish standard., 1900-12-08
CHAPTER IV.-CoNr1NuEp.

could get Off his seat if he wanted to,
and run alongside, but he'd stay where
he was. .
'Let me out. please said the en-
gineer, and jumped to the ground,
and then the cavalcade pushed on
again. The driver, as ordered by an
employer whom he dare not disobey,
let the reins drop on the mules backs,
the troopers falling behind, the
yellow ambulance and the big baggage
wagon bringing up the rear.
Then, with u horseman on each side,
the mules were persuaded TO push on
again, and then when fairly started
Burleigh called to the troopers to fall
back, SO that the mules should not, as
he expressed it. "be Influenced" .""Leave
them to themselves and they can get
along all right" said he. but mix
them up with the horses, and they
want them to take all the RESPONSE
bility"
And now the command was barely
crawling. Brooks, heavy, languid with
splitting headache, lay in feverish tor
por in his ambulance, asking only to be
let alone. The engineer, q subaltern as
yet, felt that he had no right attempt
ing to advise men like Burleigh, who
proclaimed himself an old campaigner.
The aid-de-camp was getting both
sleepy and inpatient, but he, too, was
much the quartermaster's junior in
rank. AS for Dean, he had no volition
whatever. escort the party" were his
govern the movements of his horses and
men by the wishes of the senior staff Of
icial. And SO they logged along per-
hapS 20 minutes more, and then
there was a sudden splutter and plunge
and stumble ahead, sharp pull on the
traces, a marvelously quick jerk back
on the reins that threw the wheel teala
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 splashing
in mud hole. They were not only of
the road by dozen yards, but over q
bank two feet high.
And this iast pound brolku the back
of Burleigh's olostinacy. 1t was nearly
midnight anyway. The best thing to
be done was to unhitch, unsaddle and
bivouac until the gray light of dawn
came pcering over the eastward prai-
Tie, which in that high latitude and
"long-day'' month would soon be after
three. Then they could push On to
Reno.
Not until nearly eight o'clock In the
r., II 1o, in,
sight of the low belt of dingy green
that told of the presence of u stream
still long miles away: and here. know
ing himself to be out of danger, the
major badc the weary escort march in
at walk while he hurried on. In Is
minutes the blackhootled wagon was
twisting and turning over the rowtlery
road good mile ahead. its dust rising
nigh over the sagc-covcrcd desert, while
the other two, with The dust-hegrimcd
troopers, logged sturdily on. Loring,
the young engineer, had waved 4 cor
dial good-by to his old cadet acquaint-
ancc. Sec you later, old man." he
cried. Stone, the aid-tc-cnmp. nodded
and said: "Takc care of yourself" and
Burlcigh said nothing at all. lie was
wondering what lie could do to muzzlc
Loring in case that gifted young gradu-
ate were moved to tell what the quar-
tcrmaster 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 in at the stockadcd. quadrangle
and discharged its occupants at the
hut of the ma ior commanding, there
were tidings of such import to greet
them that Burleigh turned yellow
white again at thought of the pcrils
they had escaped.
"My God, mani" cried the post COM
1nander, as he came hurrying out to
meet the party, we've been in blue
funk about you fellows for two whole
days. Did you see any Indians?"
''Scc any Indians!" said Burlcigl,, raj
lying to the occasion, as became a
man who knew how to grasp an oppor-
tunity. eve stood Off the whole Sioux
nation over toward Crazy Woman's
fork. There were enough to cover the
country, red and black, for dozen
miles. We sighted them yesterday
about four o'clock, and there were
enough around us to cat us alive, but
we just threw out skirmsh lines and
marched steadily ahead, SO they
thought best not to bother us. They're
shy of our breech-loaders, damn 'em!
That's all that kept them at respectful
distance"
The majors face as he listened took
on a puzzled, perturbed look. He did
not wish to say anything that might
reflect on the opinions of so influential
man as the depot quartermaster at
Gate City, but it was plain that there
was a train of thought rumbling
through his mind 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. "Red
Cloud and his whole band are out on
the warpath. They killed two couriers
half-breeds, sent out to find Thorn
toms troop that was scouting the Dry
Fork. The man we sent to find yor
and give you warning hasn't got bach
at all. We've had double sentries fol
three days and nights. The only souls
to get in from the northwest since ou
fellows were run back last night arr
old Folsom and Baptiste. Folsom hat
talk with Red Cloud and tried to In
duce him to turn back. He's beset viii