the evening, and
"off and on" all of the evening, until toward 10:30 o'clock they became
so ugly and quarrelsome and had so little money left that Skid refused
them further admission, even to wash the blood from their battered
faces. If the purpose of the examination was to connect these men, any
of them, with the assault upon Foster, it had certainly failed.

Even when Foster's verbatim statement came, duly type-written and
vouched for, and further examination was made, and Blenke and the three
worthies were further investigated, nothing was admitted and little
learned. Foster's statement was read by the adjutant and received in
grim silence by the colonel and one or two seniors called in for the
occasion. Smarting under the indignity with which he had been treated,
said Foster, and finding the Flyer would not be along before ten or
half-past ten, he decided to take a buggy, drive out to the post and
seek an interview with the colonel and certain other officers. It was
due to his honor that his statement be heard. He ordered his traps sent
to the train, so that if delayed he could drive thither at once, or even
have the ranchman caretaker at Fort Siding "flag the train." Barely two
miles out from town he overtook some soldiers apparently drunk; one of
them reeled almost under his horse's nose; he pulled up in dismay, and
instantly they attacked him on all sides at once. He was knocked
senseless, and when he came to himself they were all out on the
southward prairie. He could see the lights of the fort far away. He was
propped against a wheel and they were wrangling among themselves. He was
bleeding, dazed, had been cruelly beaten, but his wits were returning.
The moonlight was clear, and suddenly, in a row that broke out among
them, they fell upon each other, and a young, slight-looking man, who
seemed to be their leader, in striving to quell the row, lost the
handkerchief that hid his face. His light raincoat was torn open,
revealing the uniform of a lieutenant of cavalry. The form, features,
the dark little mustache, all that he could see, were certainly those of
Lieutenant Ray. Staggering to his feet, he unhappily drew their
attention again to himself, and then he was slugged and knocked
senseless and knew no more until he was being helped aboard the Pullman.
One of the men he vaguely remembered having seen before, but the only
one of the party he could have recognized was Lieutenant Ray. All
Minneconjou, he said, k