ly puffing away at his pipe when Hatton
returned.

IX.

Late that afternoon the guard caught sight of a horseman loping rapidly
up the valley and heading for the bridge across the Laramie. Long
before he reached the post an orderly had notified the commanding
officer that a courier was coming,--doubtless from Captain Terry's
party, and Major Miller's appearance on his north piazza, binocular in
hand, and gazing steadfastly over the distant flats to the winding
trail along the river, was sufficient to bring strong representations
of every household into view, all eager to see what he was seeing or to
hear what he might know. Mr. Hatton came hurriedly over from "Bedlam,"
took his place by the major's side, and a peep through the same big
glasses. Then, after a moment's consultation, the two officers started
down the steps and walked briskly past the quarters on the east side,
merely calling, in answer to the many queries, "Somebody coming with
news from Terry!" and by the time they reached the old blockhouse at
the north end, the somebody was in plain view, urging his foam-flecked
and panting steed to a plunging gallop as he neared the Laramie. The
hoofs thundered across the rickety wooden bridge, and the rider was
hailed by dozens of shrill and wailing voices as he passed the
laundresses' quarters, where the whole population had turned out to
demand information. The adjutant had joined the commanding officer by
this time, and several of the guard had come forth, anxious and eager
to hear the news. No man in the group could catch the reply of the
horseman to the questioners at "Sudstown," but in an instant an Irish
wail burst upon the ear, and, just as one coyote will start a whole
pack, just as one midnight bray will set in discordant chorus a whole
"corral" of mules, so did that one wail of mourning call forth an
echoing "keen" from every Hibernian hovel in all the little settlement,
and in an instant the air rang with unearthly lamentations.

"D---- those absurd women!" growled the major, fiercely, though his
cheek paled at dread of the coming tidings. "They'll have all the
garrison in hysterics. Here, Hatton! run down there and stop their
infernal noise. There isn't one in a dozen of 'em that has any idea of
what has happened. They're howling on general principles. What the
devil does that man mean by telling his news before he sees the
commanding officer, anyhow?"

Meantime, straight across the sandy fla