Little Horn within the last three days," said the experienced scouts in
the advance. Back went the column down the valley to report the news,
and three days afterwards two war-tried regiments of horse were _en
route_. From the south, heading for the Black Hills of Dakota, with
orders to find the trail leading from the reservations to the Indian
country and put a stop to the forwarding of reinforcements or supplies,
rode our old Arizona acquaintances of the --th. From the north, pushing
up the Rosebud into the very heart of the hostile regions, with orders
to find the lurking-place of the swarming savages and "hold them" from
the east, there came a command and a commander famed in song and story.
Between them and the Big Horn heights and canons, where lay the comrade
force of Crook, there rolled a glorious tract of wooded crest, of
sweeping, upland prairie, of deep and sheltered valley, of plashing
stream and foaming torrent, and there in their guarded fastness,
exulting in their strength, mad with rejoicing over their easy victory,
lighting the valley for miles with their council-fires, rousing the
echoes with triumphant shout and speech, thousand upon thousand gathered
the Indian foemen, "covering the hills like a red cloud."

CHAPTER VIII.

AT RUSSELL.

"What do you think!" exclaimed Mrs. Turner, breathlessly, as she rushed
in upon her friend Mrs. Stannard one bright morning a week later, "Mrs.
Truscott and Miss Sanford will both be here to-morrow. Mr. Gleason
escorts them. Why!" she added, in visible disappointment, "you knew all
about it all the time. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only knew yesterday, Mrs. Turner," was the smiling reply. "They will
stay with me until their quarters are ready. Captain Truscott and
Captain Webb will camp here with their troops until further orders, and
you knew, of course, that they were on their way. The ladies were to
have gone to the hotel in town, but Major Stannard sent word before he
left that Mrs. Truscott must come to me, and I have plenty of room for
Miss Sanford, too."

"Won't it be delightful to have them? It will add ever so much to the
life of the post," said Mrs. Turner, with visions of hops and parties
innumerable flitting through her pretty head. It was a week since the
--th had broken camp and marched away. Already they were far across the
Platte and up out of reach of all telegraphic communication somewhere
among the breaks of the South Cheyenne, and righ