Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-04

por in his ambulance, asking only to be
let alone. The engineer, a subalterna 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
orders, and that meant that he must
govern the movements of his horses and
men by the wishes of the senior staff of
fetal. And so they logged along per-
haps 20 minutes more, and then
there was sudden splutter and plunge
and stumble ahead. sharp pull on the
traces, marvelously quick jerk back
on the reins that threw the wheel team
on their launches, and thereby saved
the ''outtit." for when men and matches
were hurried to the front the lead mules
were discovered kicking and splashing
in a mud hole. They We're not only off
the road by a dozen yards, but over a
bank two feet high.
And this last pound broke the back
of Burleigh's obstinacy. 1t was nearly
midnight anyway. The best thing to
be done was to unhitch, unsaddle and
hivouac until the gray light of dawn
came peering over the eastward prai-
RE, 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
morning. therefore, did they heave in
sight of the low belt of dingy green
that told of the presence of stream
stir long miles away; and here, know
ing himself to be out of danger, the
major babe the weary escort march in
| at a walk while he hurried on. In IS
minutes the black-hooded wagon was
twisting and turning over the powdery
| nigh over the sage-covered desert, while
| the other two with the dust-begrimed
! troopers, logged sturdily on. Loring,
| the young engineer, had waved cor
dial good-by to his old cadet acquaint-
ance. See you later, old man. he
cried. Stone, the aid-de-camp. nodded
and said: Take care of yourself" and
| Burleigh said nothing at all. He was
wondering what he could do to muzzle
Loring in case that gifted young gradu-
ate were moved to tell what the quar-
termaster 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
bowledrin at the, stockaded quadrangle
and discharged its occupants at the
hut of the major commanding, there
were tidings of such import to greet
| them that Burleigh turned yellow
white again at thought of the perils
they had escaped.
| "My God, mani" cried the post COM
mander, as he came hurrying out to
meet the party, we've been in a blue
funk about you fellows for two whole
days. Did you see any Indians?'
See any Indians!" said Burleigh, rail-
| lying to the occasion, as became a
man who knew how to grasp an oppor-
tunity. 1--WE stood off the whole Sioux
nation over toward Crazy Woman's
fork. There were enough to cover the
country, red and black, for a dozen
miles. We sighted them yesterday
about four o'clock, and there were
enough around us to eat us alive, but
we just threw out skirmish 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 puzzled, perturbed look. He did
not wish to say anything. that might
reflect on the opinions of so influential
a man as the depot quartermaster ait
Gate City, but it was plain that there
was 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
| l. VI N. uS man We Scllt W llull yOu
and give you warning hasn't got back
at all. We've had double sentries for
three days and nights. The only souls
to get in from the northwest since our
! fellows were run back last night are
old Folsom and Baptiste. Folsom had
a talk with Red Cloud and tried to in
duce him to turn back He's beset with
the idea that the old villain is plotting
a general massacre along the Big Horn.
He looks Like ghost. He says if we
had 5000 soldiers up there there'd
hardly be enough. You know the Sioux
| have sworn by him for years, and he
thought he could coax Red Cloud to
keep away, but all the cid villainwould
promise was to hold his young men
back ten days or so until Folsom could
get the general to order the Warrior
Gap plan abandoned. If the troops are
there Folsom says it's all up with them.
Red Cloud can rally all the northern
tribes, and it's only because of Folsom S
influence, at least / fancy so-that-
that they didn't attack you"
Where is Folsom?" growled Bur-