t up the
road, waving his despatch on high. A comrade from Blake's troop,
following through the ford, had turned to the left and led his horse up
the steep to the quarters nearest the flagstaff. This time there was no
big-hearted post commander to bid the Irishman refresh himself _ad
libitum_. Flint was alone at his office at the moment, and knew not this
strange trooper, and looked askance at his heterodox garb and war-worn
guise. Such laxity, said he to himself, was not permitted where _he_ had
hitherto served, which was never on Indian campaign. Kennedy, having
delivered his despatches, stood mutely expectant of question and
struggling with an Irishman's enthusiastic eagerness to tell the details
of heady fight. But Flint had but one method of getting at facts--the
official reports--and Kennedy stood unnoticed until, impatient at last,
he queried:--

"Beg pardon, sir, but may we put up our horses?"

"Who's we?" asked the major, bluntly. "And where are the others?"

"Trigg, sir--Captain Blake's troop. He went to the captain's quarters
with a package."

"He should have reported himself first to the post commander," said the
major, who deemed it advisable to make prompt impression on these savage
hunters of savage game.

"Thim wasn't his ordhers, surr," said Kennedy, with zealous, but
misguided loyalty to his comrades and his regiment.

"No one has a right, sir, to give orders that are contrary in spirit to
the regulations and customs of the service," answered the commander,
with proper austerity. "Mr. Wilkins," he continued, as the burly
quartermaster came bustling in, "have the other trooper sent to report
at once to me and let this man wait outside till I am ready to see him."

And so it happened that a dozen members of the garrison gathered, from
the lips of a participant, stirring particulars of a spirited chase and
fight that set soldiers to cheering and women and children to
extravagant scenes of rejoicing before the official head of the garrison
was fairly ready to give out the news. Kennedy had taken satisfaction
for the commander's slights by telling the tidings broadcast to the
crowd that quickly gathered, and, in three minutes, the word was flying
from lip to lip that the troops had run down Lame Wolf's main village
after an all day, all night rush to head them off, and that with very
small loss they had been able to capture many of the families and to
scatter the warriors among the hills. In brief,