The San Francisco call., 1909-03-06

bodies, and little by little the town was
emptied as the army marched into the
sun parched veldt. Brutus. keen and
alert, with the gaunt man in the white
plth hemlet, became a familiar sight,
as he trotted or cantered untiringly be-
side the big troop horses of the ad-
vance guard of cavalry. At night when
the column halted he was hobbled in
the horse lines. but much to his dis
gust, with Troop 4 of the-th Ian
GERS, that had spurned him and cast
MIN out. The war had become grim
reality and the early morning tricks
into the whitening veldt, enliVened only
now and then by an occasional skir-
mish, were growing monotonous and
beginning to tell on horses and men.
though IL could hardly be said TO have
altered Brutus much, unless the skin
was drawn little tighter over the
cowlike hip bones or the eyes burned
brighter
Troop A had had a hard day. when
one evening, about dark. dust covered
and weary, with five empty saddles
and wounded corporal, it found itself
compelled TO pitch camp many miles
from the main body. There was little
sleep that night for horses or men,
signal nres were burning little patches
OF name on the distant hills and the
camp watched them while awake
Hobbled in the horse lines Brutus
-4Se-AO t44t WOEQS passed along tlaI the
Beers had cut them off from the main
body and that they were hemmed in
brutus dozed; it was nothing new TO
him. He'd been hemned in before. once
by United States troops, when he be-
longed to Sioux, and again by Ind
lahs, when ne was rounding up cattle
Tor the AA.' 1t rather annoyed him
the silly chatter the troop horses kept
up especially that of the dapple gray.
IT'S all rot rot yo know. ns knocking us
about like this. Government should
know better"
Right-o, my beauty" chimed in the
sergeant majors chestnut; but hi s'y,
some one had TO do il, didn't thev?''
Il beg your pardon" the gray repIied
with toss. Please do not address me
as your beauty and remember that I
am the first lieutenants gray" Brutus
shifted That gray made him tired.
Say, pardner." he said, can't Won
cut that out? I want TO go TO Sleep
The gray eyed him haughtily
on were addressing me?" he said.
interrogatingly.
i was" answered Brutus. firmly.
with CLINT in his eye The gray tg-
nored him and swished his tail at a
persistent fly.
Sy you're the naughty one, amt
your the chestnut pursued; - e seems
a decent enough little chap" The erav
ground his teeth-they needed filing.
oh, yes; no doubt you think Sc. but
he strikes me as an extremely com
mon horse" 'Krag" cracked in the
distance and bullet whizzed out of
the darkness through the horse lines.
There now" the gray pursued
wrathfully what do YOU mink of
that? It's trek, trek, trek all dav in
the blistering sun through the God
forsaken country, then tied I'd every
night 10 be shot at Beastly bad mis-
management somewhere, 1 call it, Bru-
~tus threw up his head with a snort that
startled the horses half way down the
lire.
My friend" he remarked. were Won
ever in Arizona when the thermome-
ter was $50, with wounded COW
puncher on your back and six bowling
red devils chasing you for 20 miles.
without drop TO drink?"
Arizona! Never heard OF IT. Is IT in
the eolonies?" the gray condescended.
Brutus drew in a deep breath that
swelled out his sides and turned anyay
with sigh.
Go to sleep" was all he said.
IT was silent now. and the deadly
stiffness was almost worse than the
noise. Then Brutus heard voices near
-t%t-t- ~ lAcH were SlANQlhE Only q
few feet away. One of them was Liv-
ingston and the other was the ranking
ofhcer OF the troop. Brutus pushed his
way toward them and reached his hot
nose to Livingston's hand
There's only one way the latter
was saying; that's for some one to cut
through their lines tonight to our main
division.
I'VE could do It," Brutus thought and
a & n fran o
1t can't be done" the officer replied
they'd down you a hundred yards from
camp"
4 can try it; it's only fifty miles. and
the pony could do,it IN FIVE hours. These
Others" Livingston said, waving his
hand toward the listening horses.
would break their neci1sv And Bru-
tus bobbed his head approvingly.
You're noncombatsnt. II they
caught you out there those chaps would
hang you," the officer said.
The New York Call wouldn't allow
It," the other smiled, -.and I'm the only
one who can do ~
That night at O'clock. when the
first ping OF a shot sounded from the
hills. Brutus recognized a tall, STOPPING
figure coming down the line, and gave
a little whinny of pleasure as the man
stopped ard threw a cloth and saddle
WI 4i-S Of~N+f anu S'eibtittu Inc kiTlnS
with HIS knee IN the pony's stomach
The lieutenant's gray looked around
sharply. .1Iuh.'' he snorted, Il wonder
what they're UP to. No good, TIL be
bound. Two OF kind I say" Brutus
lashed out with both heels, for hard
words against ones master is a per-
sonal insult among horses. Then he
felt the cold steel between his teeth as
the bride slipped over his ears. and a
minute later was following Livingston,
treading softly past the furthermost
picket
Good luck. sir. and God bless your
he heard the picket whisper. Then he
felt Liringston's weight in the saddle
and the powerful grip OF his knees, and
he went forward, lifting his feet care