The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-05-20
Fiction
OF THE TENTH
BY EILEEN MORETTA.

it out in barracks. the officers whis-
pered it to each other. and as the
solonel sat on the veranda of his
bungalow and admitted it to himself
he laid much Of the blame on his own
shoulders.
The robber bands of India. known as
dacoits. had been busy around Aliwal,
and squads Of British cavalry were
being sent out every few days to de-
stroy them. Your true dacoit is not
only a robber, but fighter as well.
He robs his own race whenever op-
portunity offers and fights the-British
whenever and wherever he meets
them. He is a good shot, a brave foe,
be had in wiping him off the face of
the earth. Young Danforth had lately
Joined the Tenth. He had family and
political influence and a fortune be-
hind him, and he had a personality
which made friends. There could be
no greater privilege than to be sent
out at the head of a detachment to
give the dacoits a whirl. When the
time came that the colonel could do
young Danforth this favor he had a
long and quiet talk with him. He
posted him as to the characteristics
and tactics of the foe and warned
him of the pitfalls that even veteran
officers might fall into. He was to
find the enemy and destroy him, but
he was cautioned against impetuosity
and useless sacrifice of men. This ex-
pedition was to be the young officers
''tryout." He had never been under
fire, and he could not claim full kim
ship with the regiment until he had.
They gave young Danforth British
sergeant and corporal and thirty-eight
Sikh troopers. Under an officer in
whom he has confidence there Is no
better soldier than the Sikh. His only
weak point is that he must have his
foe in front Of him. Danforth had the
luck to strike band Of robbers within
twenty miles Of the post. They had
captured a village and were pillaging.
1t was testified to by a dozen Sikhs
that he was as cool as an old veteran.
He sent scouts forward to ascertain
the strength Of the enemy and the lay
Of the land, and at the head Of his
forty men he charged into the village
and routed out the band Of $50. He
lost two men and killed dozen, and
it was little affair to be proud Of. He
held his men well in hand and was on
the watch for trickery, and had all the
troopers been Europeans all would have
gone we'll. AS the robbers retreated
over broken ground men were flung of
from either flank to create an ambush.
They were few in number and only
half hearted. but as they opened fire
the Sikhs bolted. There were confu-
sion and a rout. and the pursuers be-
came in turn the pursued. When the
fight ended the sergeant and corporal
were missing.
A court martial was demanded by
young Danforth. No sooner bad the
detachment returned than the remnant
Of the Sikhs began to whisper about
incompetency and cowardice. They
praised the officer for his fight at the
village. but they declared that his cow
ardice when he found himself in a
tight place had brought about disas-
ter. His defense was Straightforward
and clear. There was not an officer
who doubted one of his statements.
and he was honorably acquitted Of the
charge. but a stain had been left be.
hind. 1t was felt by men and officers
that to be even suspected Of cowardice
was q smirch on the name Of the regi-
ment. 1t was agreed that the Sikhs
had lied to excuse their own coward
ice, and there was the verdict Of the
court martial. yet the cloud was not
dissipated.
Young Danforth could not fail to
notice the change in the attitude Of his
brother officers. They did not cut him.
but they had to make an effort to be
friendly. Pretty soon hints were
thrown out that it would be we'll for
him to transfer or leave the service.
Then he went to the colonel and said:
81 was charged with cowardice by
the Sikhs. Had my sergeant and cor
poral lived to come back with me l
could have had witnesses to prove to
the contrary. The court martial took
my word. however, and I was honor
ably acquitted. realize that l am
tainted. There are hints that I ought
to transfer or resign. With your per-
mission l shall remain right here and
hope for something to happen"
81 believe that the Sikhs perJured
themselves" quietly replied the colo
mel. "and perhaps it will be the wisest
thing you can do to stay on
The words were kind and fair, but
no grip of the hand accompanied them.
In his heart Of hearts the colonel had
hoped the subaltern would go away
though at the same time he realized
that only an innocent man would have
cared to remain. Young Danforth led
no more expeditions, and months
rolled away before anything happened
to put his case in a more favorable
light. Then number of dacoits were
captured. Among them were two or
three who had fought him that day.
They boasted Of how they had driven
his Sikhs; they praised the courage he
had exhibited in seeking to rally them.
There was an increase of cordiality