the new
company clerk with jealous eyes. He knew and knew well that Howard was
savagely glad when Brannan was sent to the reservation with Boynton's
party. He noted that Howard became of a sudden fitful, restless, sullen,
and then reckless and negligent of his work and eager to go frequently
to Braska. Presently he heard things of him that made him believe Howard
was contemplating desertion, and no sooner had Lieutenant Davies arrived
than he became assured of it. "I had to serve under that damned, canting
Methodist preacher," said Howard, "and I won't have him nosing around
where I am. I'll desert first." Now, Haney had no objection to Howard's
"skipping,"--it would be good riddance to dangerous timber,--but he
wanted first to find out what was the secret of his dislike of Davies,
whom most of the men, and all the better ones, had learned to respect
and esteem. He plied Howard with questions, hints, suggestions, and
whiskey, but Howard's head, or stomach, was stronger than he thought,
and the liquor failed in the short time at his disposal to overcome it.
With a few months the result would have been different. Howard once
admitted, however, that he hated the lieutenant and had reason to, but
that was all that Haney ever wormed out of him, but he and others were
morally certain that Howard meant to desert when the very day of Paine's
trip to Braska the company clerk disappeared. They counted on his
court-martial and downfall when brought back to the post in "cits" by
Sanders's squad. They were amazed at the abortive outcome of the affair,
and then at last the gang that "had stood in with" the first sergeant as
the surest means of keeping on the right side of the captain began to
realize that here was a man with more "pull" than Haney, and the latter,
feeling his influence going, determined that the time had come to regain
it, cost what it might. He knew beyond peradventure who was the
mysterious night prowler, knew why Captain Devers had ordered Paine to
watch Brannan in hospital, he knew why, or believed he knew why, the
captain was so down on Brannan and so fiercely bent on breaking him or
driving him out. He knew that he could, if he would, lay before Mr.
Leonard certain damaging facts in connection with Brannan's two relapses
into drinking, and of Paine's detail to town that day when he was
needed, as they knew he would be needed, at the adjutant's office. He
required just one or two links more to make a chain so powe