and
five miles south of Cedar Mountain. The life of the garrison was very
self-contained, but Cedar Mountain had its allurements, and there were
some entertainments where civilian and soldier met. The trail between
was a favourite drive or ride and to Hartigan it became very familiar.

There was one regular function that had a strong hold on him. It took
place every other Saturday afternoon on the parade ground, and was
called general riding exercises, but was really a "stunt show" of trick
riding. After they began to know him, the coming of Hartigan with his
horse was hailed by all with delight. The evenings of these festal days
were spent in the gymnasium, when there was an athletic programme with
great prominence given to sword play, boxing, and singlestick, in which
Hartigan was the king; and here his cup of joy was full.

"Ain't it a shame to waste all that stuff on a preacher?" was the
frequent expression of the soldiers. Though what better use they would
have made of it, was not clear.

Many a dark night Hartigan rode home from the Fort after the evening's
fun was over leaving it entirely to his horse to select the road, after
the manner of the wise horseman. In mid-August there had been one of the
typical Black Hill storms. After a month of drought, it had rained
inches in a few hours. The little Rapid Fork of the Cheyenne was a broad
flood which carried off most of its bridges, including that on the trail
to the Fort. The rain had ceased the day before, but the flood had
subsided very little by Saturday night as Hartigan mounted Blazing Star
and set out for the fortnightly affair at Fort Ryan.

The sky was still blocked with clouds and at eight o'clock it was black
dark, so Hartigan left the selection of the trail, as a matter of
course, to Blazing Star. From the time of leaving the last light in
Cedar Mountain till they drew up under the first lantern at Fort Ryan,
Hartigan never saw the horse he was riding, much less the road he was
riding on: nor had he touched the reins or given by word or pressure of
knee any signal of guidance. The night was too black for his senses, but
he knew he was committing his way to senses that were of a keener order
than his own, and he rode as a child might--without thought of fear. He
could feel it when they were going down into the canyon of the Rapid
Fork, and at the bottom of the slight descent he heard the rush of
waters, and noted that Blazing Star lowered his head and