George at the Fort | Page 6

of the recruits.
"All right! Shake on that."
"You may depend upon me," said the recruit as he grasped Bristow's
proffered hand. "Do you remember that big-whiskered, loud-voiced
rancheman who gave us the potatoes the other night? He is sadly in
need of help, and he told me that if I would come to his house, bringing
three or four friends with me, he would give us citizens' clothes and
hide us until the officers gave up looking for us. All he asked was, that
we should agree to work for him for twelve months, and promise not to
leave without giving him due notice."

"I am in for that," exclaimed the recruit who had not spoken
before.--"What do you say, Owens?"
"I say I am out of it," was the quick reply. "If I did a thing like that, I
never could look a white man in the face again. I have been guilty of a
good many mean acts during my life--some that I would gladly recall if
I could--but I am not mean enough to desert. Besides, I have no desire
to have a bullet sent into me."
Bob's companions did not know whether to be surprised or angry at this
plain speech. They stared hard at him for a moment, and then Bristow
said,
"Are you really afraid of being shot? Well, I can set your fears on that
score at rest. I know that the penalty for desertion in the face of the
enemy is death, but we are not in the face of the enemy now. The
country is at peace."
"I know it is nominally so," answered Bob, "but it is not so in reality,
and never will be so long as these hostile Indians and lawless Mexicans
continue to raid over the Texas border. If you skip out, as you threaten
to do, you may rest assured that you will be brought back by force of
arms, and if you resist you will be shot."
"How does it come that you know so much more than the rest of us?"
demanded Bristow angrily. "You are not an old soldier."
"I am aware of that fact, but I have been talking to an old soldier, and
that was Haskins. He told me that Major Elliot, one of General Custer's
officers, pursued a party of deserters, and when they resisted he shot
three of them; and Haskins himself was one of the squad that did the
shooting."
"I don't believe a word of it," exclaimed Bristow.
"Neither do I," said another of the recruits. "Of course we expect to be
pursued, but we shall take good care that we are not caught. Any of
these ranchemen who want herdsmen will furnish us with citizens'

clothing, and before our year is out the thing will blow over, and then
we'll go home, and stay there."
"It won't blow over as easily as you think for," said Bob. "It will be
known to your home authorities and to everybody else that you are
deserters, and all the detectives in the United States will be on the
lookout for you. If you want to live in constant fear of arrest, you can
do it, but I won't."
Bob stuck to his resolution, and his discontented companions stuck to
theirs. We shall see in due time which of the four made the wisest
decision.
CHAPTER II.
AN OLD FRIEND TURNS UP.
The long, toilsome journey was completed at last, and late one
afternoon the weary and footsore recruits found themselves drawn up in
line on the parade-ground at Fort Lamoine. After the roll had been
called and the colonel commanding the post had hurriedly inspected
them, they were turned over to a sergeant, who marched them into the
barracks. There they found about two hundred or more soldiers, who,
as soon as the order was given to "break ranks," crowded about them
inquiring for late papers and asking a thousand and one questions in
regard to what was going on in the States.
Learning from the sergeant that no duty would be required of him that
day, Bob spread his blankets in one of the empty bunks, and, stretching
himself upon them, placed his hands under his head and looked about
him with no little curiosity. Presently a young trooper, a boy about his
own age, who looked as though he were just recovering from a long
siege of sickness, approached, and, seating himself on the edge of Bob's
bunk, began a conversation with him. Those of our readers who have
met this boy before in citizen's dress might have seen something
familiar about him, but still it is doubtful if they would have recognized
in him--Well, we will let him reveal his identity. After a few
commonplace remarks Bob