"
"But what became of him? What did they do with him?" interrupted the
girl, her lips quivering in spite of herself.
"Oh,--left him, I suppose," answered the veteran, with deliberate
design. "What else could they do? There was no time for ceremony. His
fellow savages, you know, can attend to that."
For a moment she sat there rigid, her black eyes staring straight into
the imperturbable face of the old soldier. No one had ever accused Dade
of cruelty or unkindness to man or woman, especially to woman; yet here
he stood before this suffering girl and, with obvious intent, pictured
to her mind's eye a warrior stricken and left unburied or uncared for on
the field. Whatever his reasons, he stabbed and meant to stab, and for
just one moment she seemed almost to droop and reel in saddle; then,
with splendid rally, straightened up again, her eyes flashing, her lip
curling in scorn, and with one brief, emphatic phrase ended the
interview and, whirling Harney about, smote him sharply with her whip,
and darted away:--
"True!" said she. "Civilized warfare!"
"If that girl isn't more than half savage," said Dade, to himself, as
Harney tore away out of the garrison on the road to the ford, "I am more
than half Sioux.
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