John Ermine of the Yellowstone

round the hills, and lie comfortably down at night. About them fluttered the Indian scouts like flies around a lamp,-hostiles and

was not long before the young scout could tell a colonel from a cook's police at a glance. Numbers of these men had seen the ten thousand men die, had been with them when they died, had even, some of them, lain down with them sapped by their own wounds, though of course they had not died. One big man slapped Ermine on the back hard enough to make him cough, and said, "I'd rather take my chance at Cold Harbor tha

ates, and if he had gone to some other school than West Point might have been a superintendent of an orphan a

ere to march, get killed, freeze, and starve? They don't have any wi

t wants them to do, and the government wants them t

t them on buffalo ponies, make them eat dried meat, and r

Ben Se

he reason the soldiers don't do it. Soldiers calculate not to do what the enemy wants them to do. Don't you get d

ng pat'? Never heard that word. What d

of cards, and it means that when you think you are li

red, broke into divisions, some going down the river in steamboats an

do anything with that unwieldy gathering. Two infantry regiments stayed behind as a reminder to the Sioux that the ga

of stores which were hauled from Fort Benton. Here was something that the Sioux could attack; they jumped the trains savagely, burned the grass, cut in on the animals

rying to comprehend. He had often played the Indian game of "hand," so that poker was merely a new slide between wealth and poverty. Seeing him, Captain Lewis sent him on some trivial errand. While he was gone, an agreement was made to have him come in, and then they were to "Skin him alive" just to see how he would stand it. It worked out beautifully. First they separated what little money he had from his clothes, the officers meanwhile sitting lik

er, John," laughed one, "or else

y up for a hundred, E

had his government shirt, his blanket breeches, and moccasins left; he had not been so poor since he was a herd-boy, but he had known forms of poverty all his life, so it was not new. What he did not enjoy was his belittlement. The hard-working men in those dangerous, monotonous days were keen for any weakness; and when he heard their laughter he wanted a h

ntil they should see the young hatless, coatless, unarmed scout on his bare-backed pony during the next march. At the following camp the

can horse of which he was very proud. He had raced it successfully

r sergeant whom he took into his confidence, he watered the American horse, fed him with a heavy feed of very salt corn, and later watered him again. The horse had been on short rations and wa

olley of jeers and approached the horse-racing officer, saying, "If you are a good gambler, co

d blood horse, with his sleek bay quarters, against the s

stroked his chin with h

n't take that runt into camp, he isn

hidden force carried the thrill down the train,

level plain; the judges were set

nto a dripping perspiration, but seemingly no one noticed this but Er

reback rider, and dangerous-looking to one used to see ponies which show w

. The American made the best of a bad job, but Ermine was a

e pulled up. He threw himself off the

on the officer's part that he lacked time to assimilate the idea that he was a f

, and gun back from your comrades, I wi

others now came to their beaten friend's aid; they shed their plunder in front of Ermine's horse, produced the s

rse," said Ermin

made utterance: "I want to say before all these men that the poker game was not on the square-that we robbed you purposely fo

ive it back. Don't hold it out against him, Ermine," and other reassurin

far. It would not sound well when told at Tongue River. The

his clothing and saddle arran

half of last night salting your horse. Look at him! He is blowing yet; he is as full

e many jokers; they slowly readjusted af

was often abruptly broken by individuals ha-haing loudly, as the sequence of events took a new h

all right; we are nothing but a bunch of monkeys. The only thing we forgot was that a fellow who has lived all his life with Injun

ome along and do jig steps on our chest any time he feels like it.

red by on his mule with

o you. That boy had that last deck marked, bottomed, sanded, and

out in front of the train, loping this way and that a

turn, and come back, flying as fas

moke for us!" said Searles

sounded the hoof-beats until they drew rein. Wolf-Voice's hair fairly stood up, and his fierce little eyes danced atten

Ermine?" sai

e is alive with fresh pony-tracks

"draw." Turning, the Major shouted: "Close u

n; the infantry guard ran out from the sides, shoving shells into the breech-blocks. Even whil

The Major spurred to the particular point for which they

en! hold y

in his teeth. In a sonorous roll came, "Steady-ste

the extended line, all concentrated on the head of the flying column. The smoke pla

e!" and thi

re the slow and steady fire the Indian line drew out. The train was caught in the circle, but the enemy had not the heart to ride over the deadly skirmish line. The close columns of wagons now turned off down toward the

one or two soldiers had to be

kicked up

e and thud of gun and pony, the clank, snort, and whip-cr

sailed placidly far above. Ponies and mules strained and lathered, men

w off to breathe their ponies. They had stopped the train, but the "walk-a-heap" soldiers were behind the wagons, which were full of "chuck," and water was at hand. Indians always dreaded the foot-soldiers, who could not

mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. "So far, so good

e up, legs bowed and wobbly, horseback fas

ttar look out; dose Kul-tus-til-akum she mak de gra

dward; it is short and won't burn high. And, Lieutenant, give me all the men you can over here; they will try to come through the smoke." Saying which,

hand, knew that one must act quickly, for they

and, just out of rifle-range, started the fire down wind. Almost no air was stirring; the flames ran slowl

the smoke eddied over the wagons; the Indians could not be seen; every man's eyes and ears

gs; but there, matters had been well attended to, for

ur years in twenty minutes; nothing can be compared to it but the pr

loody ring left by the poor mule-"would the d-- Injuns never come?" At the guard line the flames died and crackled no

And then he did what he was never known to do under ordinary circumstances; and when he was through, the

Voice, "don' you been scare; dose

the stock, the perilous trip only being made behind a strong skirmish line with three men hit and a half-dozen mules. The soldiers ate a quiet

on-box; "thud," as one buried in a grain-bag; "phud," and the ball made a

an: "We are corralled, and I haven't escort enough to move. I can hold out till snow, but can't graze my s

ugh with a fair start. The moon will come up later, a

o also, Mr.

, I go, mebeso, feefty doaller," vouchsafed t

or going, John Ermi

as too dark for the half-breed to see the contempt in Ermine's face, so he only shrugged his shoul

dollars. Here are the papers." And the Major handed on

ed to skin off his motley garments. In these desperate situations he belie

t least, never done any harm, and at times favored him. Sak-a-war-te and the God of the white men-he did not know whether they were one or two. T

the Indians were along the river. He glided away, leading his pony, and the last the soldiers saw was the fl

approach of re?nforcements, which came in during the following morning, led by Ermine. Wolf-Voice, who had been on foot, did n