Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-03-14
CHAPTER XIV.

Within AS hours of the coming of Trooper Kennedy with his rush" disaptches to Fort Frayne, the actors in our little drama had become wide ly separated. Webb and his sturdy squadron, including Ray and such of his troop as still had mounts and no serious wounds. were marching straight on for the Dry Fork of the Powder They were 200 fighting men; and, although the Sioux had now three times that many. they had learned too much of the shooting powers of these seasoned troopers, and deemed it wise to avoid close contact. The Indian fights well, man for man, when fairly cornered, but at other times he is no true sports man. He asks for odds of ten to one. as when he wiped out Custer on the Greasy Grass" or Fetteman at Fort Phil Kearney-as when he tackled the Gray Fox-General Creok-on the Rosebud, and Sibley's little party among the pines of the Big Horn. Rays plucky followers had shot vic iously and emptied far too many saddles for Indian equanimity. It might be well in any event to let Webb's squadron through and wait for further accession from the agen- cies at the southeast, or the big, tur- bulent bands of Uncapapas and Min neconjus at Standing Rock, or the Cheyennes along the Yellowstone. So back went Lame Wolf and his braves, bearing lStabber with them. fitting northward again toward the glorious country beyond the ''Chak- adee," and on went Webb, with Blake, Gregg, Ray and their juniors, with Tracy to take care of such as might be wounded on the way: and, later still, the old post surgeon reached the Elk with guards and hos pital attendants, and on the morrow began his homeward march with the dead and wounded-a sad and sol emn little procession. Only 20 miles he had to go, but it took long hours, SO few were the ambulances, so rough the crossings of the ravines; and. not until near nightfall was the last of the wounded-Lieut. Field borne in the arms of pitying sol diers into the old post hospital. too far gone with fever, exhaustion and some strong mental excitement to know or care that his strange plea had been, perforce, disregarded:- %.. fho- fka al himself, the commander they loved and trusted. was bending over him at dawn the following day. Or dering forward all available troops from the line of the railway, ''the chi had stopped at Laramie only len enough for brief conference witE the post commander: then, bid ding him come on with all his cav airy. had pushed ahead for Frayne. Ii couldn't be long campaign, per ,haps. with winter close at hand, but it would be lively one. Of that the chief felt well assured.
 Now. there was something uncsnny about this outbreak on the part of the Sioux. and the general was pug xled. Up to September the Indians had been busy with the annual hunt. They were fat. welI-fed. prosperous had got from the government pretty much everything that they could ask with any show of reason and. so they said. had been promised more. The rows between the limit ed few of their young men and some bulIies amOng the '-r1rstlers- had been no more frequent nor serious than on previous summers. when matters ha' been settled without re sort to =: but this year the very devil led to have got into the situation. .,Umething. or probably somebody. said the general. had been stirring the Indians up. exciting- exborting possibly. and almost the frst thing the general did as he climbed stitHy out of his stout Con cord wagon. in the PzIing starlight of the early morning was to turn to Dadr. now commanding the post. and 10 say he should Hke- as soon as possible. to see B51 Hay. Meantime he wished to go ia and look at the woundesL
 z Ii wss not ret five o'cIoek- but Dr. Waller was ID and de oting himself to the n--.ls of his patients. and Dade had cosTee rsadv for tke general and his sinrS- siie-sse--zrap. but not a sip wcu1d the geseFzl take until ke had seen the stricken trOSPeE<- He kneu Held b1 reRztstio1. vel s1d favor