ers!" Beverly said, half aloud. "You can stay here if you want
to, Gail. I'd rather go up and listen to those poor wretches groan than
stick down here and listen to the fiend inside of me to-night."

He rose and stalked away, and I sat listening to myself. I could join
those three men easily enough. The world is wide. I had no bond to hold
me to one single place in it. I was young and strong, and life is sweet.
Why let the black plague snuff me out of it? I had come here to serve
the State. I should not serve it in a plague-marked grave. I rose to
follow down the stream, to go to where the Smoky Hill joins the big
Republican to make the Kaw, and on to where the Kaw reaches to the
Missouri. But I would not stop there. I'd go until I reached the ocean
somewhere.

Would I?

The memory of Jondo's eyes when they looked into mine on Pawnee Rock
came unbidden across my mind. Jondo had lived a nameless man. How strong
and helpful all his years had been! How starved had been my life without
his love! I would be another Jondo, somewhere on earth.

I stared after three faintly moving shadows down the stream. 'Twas well
I waited, for Esmond Clarenden came to me now, clean-cut, honest,
everybody's friend. How firm his life had been; and he had built into me
a hatred of deceit and lies. And Jondo was another Uncle Esmond. In
spite of the black shadow on his name, he walked the prairies like a
prince always. I could not be like him if I were a deserter. Up-stream
death was waiting for me; down-stream, disgrace. I turned and followed
up the river's course, but the strength that forced me to it was greater
than that which made me brave on battle-fields. And ever since that
night beside the Smoky Hill I have felt gentler toward the man who
falls.

We were not idle long for Fort Harker had just been informed of an
assault on a wagon-train on the Santa Fe Trail and our cavalry squadron
hurried away at once to overtake and punish the assailants.

We came into camp on the bank of Walnut Creek, at the close of a long
summer day of blazing light and heat over the barren trails where there
was no water; a day of long hours in the saddle; a day of nerve-wearing
watchfulness. But we believed that we had left the plague-cursed region
behind us, so we were light-hearted and good-natured; and we ate, and
drank, and took our lot cheerfully.

Among the men at mess that night I saw a new face which was nothing
remarkable, except that something