old Carey. I've been in
every muss my troop has been in, and nobody ever hinted that I didn't do
my duty."

The captain nodded his head and waved his hand in token of dismissal,
and the trooper hurried away.

Up to this time George Ackerman had always messed with the officers, but
that night he took supper with Bob's squad, because both he and they
considered that he belonged to it. During the progress of the meal he
reminded the corporal that the latter had promised to tell him a story.

"Oh yes," said Bob, after thinking a moment. "I was telling you, I
believe, that if Mr. Wentworth killed that Indian he would be arrested
and tried for murder. Well, that's an Indian's idea of justice, and it
seems to be the agents' idea too. The Indians think they have a perfect
right to kill and scalp whenever they feel like it, but if a white man
kills one of them it is an awful thing. If they can't get hold of the
man who did the shooting or any of his relations, they look to the
government for pay. On a certain occasion a scouting-party of ten men
was surprised and utterly wiped out. The surprise was so complete that
every one of the party was killed at the first fire, with the exception
of a corporal, who had just time to knock over two of the reds before he
too was shot. Shortly afterward a peace was patched up, and a band of
braves came in, bringing with them an old woman for whom they asked a
government pension because her two sons had fallen in battle. Inquiries
were made, and it turned out that these two sons were the very Indians
who had been killed by the corporal. What do you think of such
impudence?"

George did not know what to think of it, and probably the reader doesn't
either; but this very incident is on record.

By daylight the next morning the camp was deserted. The main body of the
troops was riding rapidly toward Fort Lamoine, and a few miles behind it
came the herd which Captain Clinton had recaptured. It was moving
leisurely along in front of Mr. Wentworth and George, who controlled it
with less difficulty than the rest of the squad would have experienced
in managing a dozen cattle. Behind them came Bob and his men, with the
two boys, who were mounted on a couple of their father's horses which
had been found with the herd. George's quick eye had already noticed
that there were at least half a dozen different brands among the cattle,
and he told himself that when the animals bearing these brands had been