home and business; said he owned a
ranch down in New Mexico near Fort Averill; didn't know enough to go in
for a commission and was determined to enlist and serve as a private
soldier in the cavalry. He had good clothes and things that he put in a
trunk and expressed back to Averill, keeping only a valise full of
underwear, etc., but that was burned up on the car afterwards. Two days
later, before they started for the West, a man who said his name was
Murray came to the rendezvous and asked for Foster, who was then being
drilled. A detachment was to start the next day, and anybody could see
that Foster wasn't glad to welcome Murray by any means, but on that very
evening Murray said that he too wished to enlist and go with his
"friend." He squeezed through the physical examination somehow, and they
took him along, though nobody liked his looks.

Then Connelly told what he could of the fire and of Foster's subsequent
disappearance, also of Murray and Murray's misconduct. They asked
Connelly about Lieutenant Stuyvesant, and here Connelly waxed almost
eloquent, certainly enthusiastic, in Stuyvesant's praise. Somebody went
so far, however, as to ask whether he had ever seen any manifestation of
ill-will between Stuyvesant and Recruit Foster, whereat Connelly looked
astonished, seemed to forget his fever, and to show something akin to
indignation.

"No, indeed!" said he. There was nothing but good-will of the heartiest
kind everywhere throughout the detachment except for that one
blackguard, Murray. They all felt most grateful to the lieutenant, and
so far as he knew they'd all do most anything for him, all except
Murray, but he was a tough, he was a biter, and here the sick man feebly
uplifted his hand and pointed to the bluish-purple marks at the base of
the thumb.

"Murray did that," said Connelly simply. "He was more like a beast than
a man."

But the examiners did not seem interested in Murray. General Vinton, who
had again entered and was a close listener, and was observed to be
studying the witness closely, presently beckoned to one of the doctors
and said a word in undertone to him. The medico shook his head. There
was a lull in the proceedings a moment. Connelly was too sick a man to
be kept there long, and his doctor plainly showed his anxiety to get him
away. The crowd too wanted him to go. He had told nothing especially new
except that Murray and Foster were acquainted, and Murray enlisted
because Foster had