rse frayed shirts displayed their heroes'
medals. Some among them had meantime served the Empire, and had lately
deserted back again--but no matter. In the cavalry there were those who
on a time had ridden against the Americans in Santa Anna's famous guard.
Now they rode with Driscoll, among the Missourians. And the Missourians
sang:

"My name it is Joe Bowers,
And I've got a brother Ike;
I come from old Missouri,
Yes, all the way from Pike."

Their mouths opened wide to the salty dust, and they roared with
great-lunged humor, the stentor note of Tall Mose Bledsoe--Colonel
Bledsoe of the State of Pike--far and away in the van of the chorus.
Even the Mexicans, who comprised over half the regiment, chanted forth
the tune. They had heard it often enough, and thought it a species of
appropriate national hymn. Only the colonel of the troop rode in
silence, but not gloomily. This playfulness of his pet before a snarl
was music that he liked. The other Missouri colonels (brevet) were as
boys ever, were still only Joe Shelby's "young men for war." There was
Colonel Marmaduke of Platte. There was Colonel Crittenden of Nodaway.
There was Colonel Grinders from the Ozarks. There was Colonel Clay of
Carroll, and Colonel Carroll of Clay. These were captains. Colonel
Bledsoe was a major, and so was Colonel Boone, also chief of scouts.
Colonel Clayburn, otherwise the "Doc" of Benton, was ranking surgeon;
while the chaplain, lovingly known as "Old Brothers and Sisters," and
the choicest fighter among them, was lieutenant-colonel.

Of course some of the four or five hundred colonels had to be privates.
But they did not mind, they were colonels just the same. Which provoked
complications, especially with a Kansan who had wandered among them some
time since. The Kansan, whose name was Collins, was an ex-Federal, even
one of their ancient and warmest enemies, of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry.
And being a mettlesome young man into the bargain, he rose by unanimous
consent to command a native company of the troop. But Captain Collins
found it hard to address a Missouri private as colonel, and to be
addressed by the Missouri private as an inferior in rank. A sporadic
outburst of jayhawker warfare generally ensued. But according to the
merger treaty between the Republic of Colonels and the Republica
Mexicana, the Missourian was strictly in his rights. Besides, both
needed the exercise, and after the business of fists, formality dropp