Starlight Ranch, and Other Stories of Army Life on the Frontier

er five o'clock, while the sun was still low in the east and the dew-drops were sparkling on the buffalo grass, the

the altitude of this upland prairie, sloping away eastward between the two forks of the Platte River,

the range-Long's and Hahn's and Pike's-glistening in their mantles of snow, and down ther

h of country, from what are called the "Black Hills of Wyoming," in contradistinction to the Black

at Sherman,-the lowest point the engineers could find

twists and winds among the ravines and over the divides of this lofty prairie; so that Ralph and his soldier friends, while riding jauntily over the hard-beaten track this clear, crisp, s

d one needs no second look at the troopers to see how bright are

ne of these ridges and was looking back at the advancing column. Beside the winding road was strung a line of wires,-the mi

it everywhere are rich with juice and nutriment. This is the buffalo grass of the Western prairies, and th

etrified. Far to the south are the snow-shimmering peaks; near at hand, to the west, are the gloomy gorges and ravines and

tive about the distances in an atm

t, and, as he looked back into the valley through which they had been marching

gulars?" and the young officer nodded towards the long column of horsemen in broad-brimmed slouch hats and flannel shirts or fanciful garb of

form in the field against Indians. What I can't understand is that ridge over there. I thought we had been down in

"That's where we dismounted and took a short r

half an hour ago: you don't mean that ridge is two miles away

n is one of the teamsters who went back after

es were wide op

w, colonel, but it is i

hese two telegraph poles nearest us

as strung along the line, and the poles were stout and strong. After a mom

ur estimate, just count the poles back to that ridge-of course they ar

dilate again as he silently

he rear of the wagon-train and nearly

et sorrel racing in pursuit. "Look at young McCrea out there where there are no telegraph poles to help you judge the distance. If he were an Indian wh

or shook

. "Five minutes ago I would have said three

e colonel, turning to a soldier r

the brim of his scouting hat i

p a dust this side of hi

. "Now you can get an idea of one of the difficulties. They rarely come within six hundred yards of us when they are attacking a t

the doctor. "How sple

a manly, truthful, dutiful young fellow, born and raised in the army, knows the plains by heart, and jus

y n

adets at the Point; but while they were virtuously willing to reduce somebody else's prerogatives in that line, it did not occur to them that they might trim a little on their own. Now the President is allowed only ten 'all told,' and can appoint no boy until some of his ten are graduated or otherwise disposed of. It really gives him only two or three appoi

front of his sets of fours, looked inquiringly at the colonel, as though half expectant of a signal to halt or change the gait. Rec

their attire or equipment. Utterly unlike the dazzling hussars of England or the European continent, when the troopers of the Un

ctive pace of the horses as they go by at rapid w

eek grays of "B," Captain Montgomery's company; then more bays in "I"

a dark-brown troop; but in June, when they were marching up to take their part in the great campaign that followed, only two of their co

to take them to their destination in g

d poor, the soil ashen and spongy, and the water densely alkaline. All this would tell very sensibly upon the condition of horses that all winte

again "out on the plains" and in the saddle; but the cavalry commander's first care must be to bring his horses to the scene of actio

to the west seemed to be growing higher, and that there were bro

his little escort close beside, and Ralph was giving Buford

d to another regiment, but knew the Fifth of old. The hounds had tired of chasing over a

ht of the broad, open valley in which runs the sparkling Lodge Pole, a two-horse wagon rumbled up alongside, and

ssell an hour or more behind you. I s'pose you'll all cam

the colonel about that?

, just before we left Russell. Not an Indian's been heard of this si

n he knows I've started, and perhaps he'll co

nd the sergeant had better come ahead an

t the ranch is too far off the road. We would have to stay at Phillips's for t

urely come ahead to meet us, and we can

st ask the colonel first, bu

good luck to you in g

getting General Sheridan to back me. If he would only ask for me, or if I

ng despatches that determined him to go at once, himself, to Red Cloud Agency; that in four days more the general would