"Thim wasn't his ordhers, surr," said Kennedy, with zealous, but
misguided loyalty to his comrades and his regiment.
"No one has a right, sir, to give orders that are contrary in spirit to
the regulations and customs of the service," answered the commander,
with proper austerity. "Mr. Wilkins," he continued, as the burly
quartermaster came bustling in, "have the other trooper sent to report
at once to me and let this man wait outside till I am ready to see him."
And so it happened that a dozen members of the garrison gathered, from
the lips of a participant, stirring particulars of a spirited chase and
fight that set soldiers to cheering and women and children to
extravagant scenes of rejoicing before the official head of the garrison
was fairly ready to give out the news. Kennedy had taken satisfaction
for the commander's slights by telling the tidings broadcast to the
crowd that quickly gathered, and, in three minutes, the word was flying
from lip to lip that the troops had run down Lame Wolf's main village
after an all day, all night rush to head them off, and that with very
small loss they had been able to capture many of the families and to
scatter the warriors among the hills.
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