"And what is it you wish me to do?"
"Take care of Murphy. Don't let him remain alone for a minute. If he
has any return of reason, compel him to talk. He knows you, and will
be as greatly frightened at your presence and knowledge as at mine.
Besides, you have fully as much at stake as any one, for in no other
way can the existing barrier between Naida and yourself be broken down."
Insisting that now he felt perfectly fit for any service, the impatient
Hampton was quickly supplied with the necessary food and clothing,
while Murphy, grown violently abusive, was strapped on a litter between
two mules, a guard on either side. Brant rode with the civilian on a
sharp trot as far as the head of the pack-train, endeavoring to the
very last to persuade the wearied man to relinquish this work to
another.
"Foster," he said to the sergeant in command of the advance, "did you
chance to notice just what coulée Custer turned into when his column
swung to the right?"
"I think it must have been the second yonder, sir; where you see that
bunch of trees. We was a long ways back, but I could see the boys
plain enough as they come out on the bluff up there. Some of 'em waved
their hats back at us. Is this man goin' after them, sir?"
"Yes, he has despatches from Cheyenne."
"Well, he ought ter have no trouble findin' the trail. It ought ter be
'bout as plain as a road back in God's country, sir, fer there were
more than two hundred horses, and they'd leave a good mark even on hard
ground."
Brant held out his hand. "I'll certainly do all in my power, Hampton,
to bring this out right. You can rely on that, and I will be faithful
to the little girl. Now, just a word to guide you regarding our
situation here. We have every reason for believing that the Sioux are
in considerable force in our front somewhere, and not far down this
stream. Nobody knows just how strong they are, but it looks to me as
if we were pretty badly split up for a very heavy engagement. Not that
I question Custer's plan, you understand, only he may be mistaken about
what the Indians will do. Benteen's battalion is out there to the
west; Reno is just ahead of us up the valley; while Custer has taken
five troops on a detour to the right across the bluffs, hoping to come
down on the rear of the Sioux. The idea is to crush them between the
three columns. No one of these detachments has more than two hundred
men, yet it may come out all right if they only succeed in striking
together. Still it 's risky in such rough country, not knowing exactly
where the enemy is. Well, good luck to you, and take care of yourself."