, 1908-11-12

silent men in the blue shirts, knew
they died hard. Upon that slight
pause pivoted the fate of the day;
upon 1t hung the lives Of those other
men riding boldly and trustfuily across
the sunlit ridges above. "Audacity,
always audacity," that is the accepted
motto for a cavalryman. And be the
cause what 1t may. 1t was here that
Maj. Reno failed. In hat supreme in
stant he was guilty Of hesitancy,
doubt, delay. He chose defense in
preference to attack, daIlied where he
should have acted. The observing
savages. gathering courage from his
apparent weakness, burst forth In re-
sistless torrent against the slender,
unsupported line. turned his flank by
struggling troopers back with a rush
into the narrow strip Of timber border
ing the river.
The whole narrow valley seemed to
swarm with braves; they poured forth
from sheltering coulees and Swallowed
ravines: they dashed down in count
less numbers from the distant village.
Custer, nov far away behind the
bluffs, and almost beyond sound Of
the firing, was utterly ignored. Every
savage chief knew exactly where that
column was, but 1t could wait its turn.
In leaderless effort to break away
from that swift-gathering Gordon, be-
fore the red. remorseless folds should
close tighter and crush them to death,
the troopers, half of them already dis
mounted, burst from cover in an en-
deavor to attain the shelter of the
BLUFFS. The deadly Indian rifles
famed in their faces. and they were
hurled back, a mere fleeing mob,
searching for nothing In that moment
Of terror but a possible p~assageway
across the stream. Through some
rare providence of God. they CHANGED
to strike the banks at a spot where
the river proved %fordable. They
plunged headlong in. officers and men
commingled. the Indian bullets churn-
ing up the water on every side. The
loss in that wild retreat (which Reno
later called a "charge'') was heavy,
the effect demoralizing; but those who
escaped found a spot well suited for
defense. Even as they swung down
from on their wounded, painting horses
and flung themselves fiat upon their
faces to sweep with hastily leveled
carbines the river banks below, Ben
cen came trotting calamity down the
valley to their aid, his troopers fresh
and eager to be thrown forward on
the firing-line. The worst vas ove~
aAd like maddened lions. the rallied
soldiers of the Seventh. cursing their
folly. turned to strike and STAY.
A line Of skirmishers was hastily
thrown forward along the edge Of the
blun, while volunteers. urged by the
agonized cries Of the wounded, en-
deavored vainly to procure q supply
of water from the river. Again and
again they made the effort, only to be
driven back by the deadly Indian rife
fire. By three O'Clock. although the
majority Of the savages had departed
down the river. enough remained to
keep up a CALLING fire. and hold Reno
strictly on the defensive.
As the men lay exposed to he con-
tinuous shipping FIRE. above the sur
rounding din were borne to their ears
the reports of distant guns. 1t came
distinctly from the northward, grow
ing heavier and more continuous.
None among them doubted its ominous
meaning. Custer was already engaged
In hot action at the right Of the Indian
village. Why were they kept lying
there in idleness? Why were they not
pushed forward to do their part? They
looked into each others faces. God!
They. were 800 now; they could sweep
aside like chat that fringe Of red
skirmishers II only they got the word!
Oficer after officer. unable to restrain
his impatience, strobe back across the
bluff summit, amid whistling bullets,
and personally begged the major to
speak the one word which should hurl
them to the rescue. They cried like
women they swore through clinched
teeth, they openly exhibited their con-
tempt for such a commander, yet the
discipline Of army service made active
d~isobedience impossible. They went
reluctantly back. as helpless as chill
dren.
II was four o'clock, the shadows OF
the western BLUFFS already d~arkening
the river bank. Suddenly a faint cheer
ran along the lines. and the men lifted
themselves to gaze up the river. Urg-
Ing the tired animals to a trot. the
strong hand Of q trooper graspins
every halter-strap. Brant was swing
ing his long pack-train up the smoke
wreathed valley. The outriding flank
ers exchanged constant shots with the
skulking savages hiding in every "a
vine and coulee. Pausing only to pro
tect their wounded. fighting their way
step by step, N troop ran the gantlet
and came charging into the cheering
lines with every pound Of their treas
ure safe. Weir of d. whose dismount-
| ed troopers held that portion Of the
line. strobe a pace forward to greet
- a- .-a ~. Sho a-tanlAd hands