m to kill or burn,--something to tempt them.
I fear, major, that unless we make better time we'll be too late for the
ball."

Chrome listened placidly and without impatience of any kind. Yes, he
admitted, that was what White himself said. White was fuming with wrath
because he wasn't given command of a field column instead of being sent
west to cover the Pawnee Station road. "Small blame to him!" muttered
Cranston. "Why on earth couldn't this tortoise have been left to that
work and old Whitey given to us?" No! Major Chrome meant to advance with
caution and deliberation. If the Indians saw them coming precipitately,
they might be equally precipitate in their flight, and thereby defeat
the general's plans of having Tintop get in their rear, at which
characteristic opinion Captain Canker, of the --th, a man of many moods,
but a fighter, turned gloomily away, and was heard soon afterwards
swearing viciously. It was the old story of the army of lions with a
sheep at their head.

And then came a calm, cloudless, radiant June Sunday, a day as perfect
and serene aloft as was that June Sunday of the year gone by on whose
high noon there rose the mad clamor of the battle on the Little Horn,
whose pitiless sun looked fiercely down upon the slaughtered ranks of
Custer and his gallant Seventh, and just as the red went out of the
western sky, and the sharp, jagged line of the Warrior Buttes melted
into softer purple, there came galloping in from the distant outpost an
excited trooper, who gave a paper to Major Chrome. The officers were
seated about him at a tiny fire, and Cranston quickly lighted a candle
lantern and the major read. It was from the officer of the picket.

"Thunder Hawk and Rides Double just in from over toward the Ska. They
say they have seen 'plenty warriors' all day and are sure there has been
a big fight far across the valley. We could plainly see Indian
signal-smokes an hour ago, and Hawk says a heavy dust-cloud rose between
him and the sunset." It was signed "Davies."

"Now, _there_, gentlemen!" said Chrome, "if we had pushed ahead any
faster Davies couldn't have kept up with us, and this evening he's
commanding the advance. If we had hurried, those Indians would have
hurried too and got clear away before Tintop could have got behind them
and struck them as he has. See how well it worked?" And Chrome glanced
contentedly about him.

"That's all well enough, sir, so far as it goes," growled Captain
Canker,