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Thanking him, we saluted and marched off. The documents were made out in due course and handed to us by the sergeant, with compliments on the good service we had all performed and the expression of a hope that when we had "blowed in our money" we would go back to the old company. For some hours we were busy packing up, happy in the feeling that we were once more citizens. We spent some time shaking hands and bidding good-by to every one, and in some cases the partings were rather moving.

WE FIND AN OUTFIT

When the dusty bull train came rolling along the road past the garrison it found us waiting. Our property was stowed in an empty wagon, and, again shouting good-bys to the comrades who had come out to see us off, we began our tedious, dusty, dirty march with the bull train.

At that time Majors & Russell, of Leavenworth, Kansas, had the contract for transporting government supplies to all frontier posts. Mr. Majors had the reputation of being a very religious man, and in fitting out trains required all wagon-masters and teamsters to sign a written contract agreeing to use no profane language and not to gamble or to travel on Sundays. At starting he furnished each man with a Bible and hymn-book, and exhorted him to read the gospel and hold religious services on the Sabbath. This statement is regarded by many people of the present day as an old frontier joke, but it is actual fact.

The wagons--called prairie-schooners--were large and heavy and usually drawn by six yoke of oxen to the team. When outward bound they were loaded at the rate of one thousand pounds of freight to the yoke. Twenty-five such teams constituted a train, in charge of a wagon-master and assistant, who were mounted on mules. The travel was slow, dusty, and disagreeable beyond description. At camping time the trains corralled across the road, a half circle on either side, leaving the open road running through the centre of the corral.

Our route was down the Arkansas River on the north bank, but the train itself did not go to the water. That used for cooking and drinking was carried along in casks, which were replenished at every opportunity. The detail of this travel, while interesting, cannot be given here, but on the journey we learned a great deal that was absolutely new to us.

On the first night out from Fort Wise we were awakened by a bull-whacker, who brought to our bed two men who had asked for us and who proved to be deserters. We felt the sympathy for them which the average soldier feels for a deserter, gave them a little money and some rations, and recommended them to hurry on, travelling at night and lying hid in the daytime. They went on, as advised.

The next morning a sergeant and two privates from Fort Wise galloped up behind us and stopped to speak to us, asking if we had seen a couple of deserters. We gravely told them that we had seen no such men and suggested that they might have gone west from Fort Wise. The sergeant made a perfunctory search of the wagons and then went on, to camp a little farther along and kill time until it was necessary to return to the post. In those days such pursuing parties often overtook the deserters they were after, gave them part of their rations, and sent them along on their road.

Here, we thought, was an opportunity to get along faster and travel more comfortably if we could arrange for a transfer to the mule train. Its days' drives were about twice as long as those of the bull train, which seldom exceeded twelve miles a day. We therefore sent Tom back to the mule train, and he found in the wagon-master of the train an old acquaintance, who cheerfully agreed to take us on to Fort Leavenworth without charge. Next morning, as the mule train passed us, we bade good-by to our kind but dirty friends the bull-whackers and tumbled ourselves and our baggage into one of the empty mule wagons and went on.

At the Santa F? crossing of the Arkansas, we had begun to see a few buffalo; and the herds grew larger as we went on until we reached Pawnee Fork, near Fort Larned, which seemed to be about the centre of their range. After we passed the fort their numbers decreased until we came to the Little Arkansas, where we saw the last of them. Our old company, K of the First Cavalry, had built the first quarters at Larned, in 1859. When we passed it, in the autumn of 1861, it was garrisoned by two companies of the Second Infantry and one of the Second Dragoons and was commanded by Major Julius Hayden, Second Infantry.

After joining the mule train Tom, Jack, and I made it our business to keep the outfit supplied with fresh meat while passing through the buffalo range. We also killed numbers of ducks, geese, brant, and sand-hill cranes, borrowing the wagon-master's shotgun for bird hunting. This suggested to us that a good shotgun would be a useful part of our equipment for the winter's work.

In due time we reached Fort Leavenworth, received our pay from our old paymaster, Major H. E. Hunt, and then went down to Leavenworth City, two and a half miles from the fort. We stopped at a boarding-house kept by an old dragoon who had a wide acquaintance among citizens and soldiers and who could and would be useful to us in getting together our outfit.

The war between the States was now in full blast, and blue cloth and brass buttons were seen everywhere. Several of our former comrades had enlisted in the volunteers, and some had obtained commissions.

According to our previous understanding, I had been chosen as treasurer and bookkeeper for the expedition and began to keep accounts of receipts and expenses. Each man turned into a common fund, to be used in the purchase of an outfit, one hundred and fifty dollars--making a common capital of four hundred and fifty dollars. The balance of each man's money was left in his hands to use as he saw fit, except in the case of Jack, whom we had persuaded to turn over all his money to me. Jack begged ten dollars from me to go off and have a good time, and Tom advised me to give it; but he warned Jack that he would probably bring up in the lockup and declared that if he did so he should stay there until we were ready to start. Both Jack and I had so much respect for Tom's greater age and experience that we never thought of taking offence at his scoldings.

For two days Tom and I were busy going about from one stable to another, hoping to find a ready-made camp outfit, team, and wagon offered for sale cheap. Nothing like that had as yet been seen. We had heard nothing of our Irishman, and I was getting a little uneasy about him and asked Tom if I should not go to the police station, pay Jack's fine, and get him out. Tom agreed, and expressed some sorrowful reflections on the blemish to Jack's character which his love for liquor implied.

As expected, Jack was found behind the bars. He had evidently received a terrible beating, part of it from a gang of toughs who had tried to rob him, and the remainder from the police who had finally, with much difficulty, arrested him. I was obliged to pay a fine of twenty dollars to get Jack out.

A further search of Leavenworth City failed to show us what we wanted, and we were getting discouraged. To buy a team and a camp equipment at the prices that were asked would take all the money we could raise and still leave us poorly prepared for our expedition. We were considering the possibility of doing better in Kansas City and Saint Joe and had half decided to go to those places when one day Jack came rushing in, exclaiming:

"I've struck it. I've struck just the rig that we want. A lot of fine-haired fellows from the East have just got in from a buffalo hunt with a splendid outfit they want to sell. They will take anything they can get for it, because they are going back East on the railroad and are in a hurry to get off; and who do you think I found in charge of the outfit but Wild Bill Hickock? Bill told me he'd been hired by three fellows to buy the team and rig up the whole equipment for them, and he'd been their guide. He says it's a dandy outfit. He don't know how much they'll ask for it, but says they don't care for money and will give it away if they can't sell it. They've left Bill to get rid of it. It's over yonder on Shawnee Street, and we'd better look it over and see what sort of a bargain we can make."

I asked: "What do you think of the outfit, Tom?"

"It's one of the best camp equipments I ever saw," replied Tom, "but I am afraid it's too rich for our blood. Those mules and harness alone would be cheap at two hundred and fifty dollars. The wagon is easy worth another hundred dollars, and there is no telling what the camp outfit cost. They must have let Bill fit things up to his own notion, and Bill never did know the value of money. It may be, as Bill said, that they don't expect much for it and they'll let us have it cheap as dirt. We'd better be quick, if we can, before some one else snaps it up."

"Here comes Wild Bill himself!" exclaimed Jack; and sure enough, that first of frontier scouts, in beaded buckskins and with his long, tawny hair hanging down his back, came striding through the barn to meet us. Bill confirmed what Jack had told us, and said that as these young men seemed to have more money than they knew what to do with he had rigged up as good an outfit as he knew how. He continued: "The wagons, mules, harness, camp outfit, and some grub left over is for sale, but their riding horses are not for sale. They are to be shipped on the cars back to New York. They've got a couple of pretty fair broncos which they got here at starting, and they'll sell you them, or throw them in for good measure. What will you give me for the whole lot?"

Tom asked if he was willing to let us unload the wagon and look at its contents, to which Bill assented. We found it an extraordinarily complete camp outfit, with many duplicate parts for the wagon, a Sibley tent, a sheet-iron cook-stove, a mess-chest, and a complete mess-kit, or cooking outfit. There was a large amount of provisions left over. The wagon and the animals were good and the broncos had saddles and bridles.

While we were unpacking the wagon Bill told us something about the trip, which, from the point of view of the hunters, had been very successful, though commonplace enough as Bill saw it. When the examination was completed Bill asked: "What do you think of the outfit, Tom, and what will you give me for the whole caboodle?"

"It's a good rig, and no mistake," replied Tom with a seemingly hopeless sigh, "but, Bill, I am a

"Nyt tied?tte miksi olen niin suruissani," sanoi nuori Raybrock. "Ajatelkaa Kitty?. Ajatelkaa mit? minun on h?nelle kertominen."

H?n oli vallan ep?toivoissaan ja polki hiljaa jalkaansa laattiaan. Mutta hetkisen kuluttua h?n j?lleen rauhoittui ja puhui tyyneell? ??nell?:

"Mutta siit? on jo kyll?ksi puhuttu! Te lausuitte minulle muutamia rohkeita sanoja nyt juuri, kapteeni Jorgan, ja niit? ette turhaan lausuneet. Min? olen saanut jotakin teht?v?kseni. Ennenkuin mihink??n muuhun toimeen ryhdyn, tulee minun ottaa selko t?st? kirjoituksesta, tuon hyv?n maineen takia, jota ei kukaan muu voi puhdistaa ja pit?? hyv?n?. Ja kuitenkaan ei, t?m?n hyv?n maineen t?hden, ja is?ni muiston takia, ?itini, eik? Kittyn, eik? yhdenk??n inhimillisen olennon tule saada tiet?? ainoatakaan sanaa t?st? kirjoituksesta. Olettehan samaa mielt? t?m?n suhteen?"

"En tied? mit? mahtanevat ajatella meist? tuolla alhaalla," sanoi kapteeni, "mutta en voi ehdotustanne vastustaa. Nyt kirjoitukseen. Mit? ai'otte tehd??"

Molemmat yhtaikaa, ik??nkuin sopimuksesta, kumartuivat paperin yli, ja lukivat toistamiseen tarkasti kirjoituksen.

"Min? luulen, ett? jos kaikki sanat olisivat t?ss?, kuuluisi lause n?in: 'Kuulustele siell? asuvain vanhain miesten joukossa' -- jotakuta. Ai'otte kai l?hte? t?ss? mainittuun kyl??n?" sanoi kapteeni, sormellaan osoittaen nime?.

"Niin ai'on. Ja mr Tregarthen on Cornwallis'ista ja -- tosiaankin -- on Lanrean'ista kotoisin."

"Mr Tregarthen on Kityn is?."

"Vai niin!" huudahti kapteeni. "Noh, Tregarthen siis hyvin hyv?sti tuntee Lanrean'in kyl?n?"

"Ep?ilem?tt? h?n sen tekee. Olen usein kuullut h?nen mainitsevan sit? kotipaikkanansa. H?n tuntee sen hyvin."

"Odottakaa v?h?sen," sanoi kapteeni. "Meilt? puuttuu nimi t?ss?. Te voitte kysy? Tregarthen'ilta sen kyl?n vanhojen miesten nimi?. Eik? niin?"

"Kyll?. Min? menen nyt kohdakkoin h?nen luoksensa kysym??n sit?."

"Ottakaa minut kanssanne," sanoi kapteeni, nousten istualta ja n?ytt?en hyvin vakavalta, "mutta ensin yksi sana viel?. Min? olen kokenut maailmassa enemm?n kuin te, ja olen pitemm?lle enn?tt?nyt. Minun on, koko elinaikanani merimatkoilla ollessani, t?ytynyt pit?? j?rkeni selv?n? ja kirkkaana kuni laivan kalujen vaskiset kotelot. Min? tahdon tulla kanssanne t?lle matkalle. Mutta te ette el? vain puhumalla enemp?? kuin min?k??n. Tartu lujasti k?teeni, siin? on puhe kummallekin osapuolelle."

Kapteeni Jorgan otti matkan komennon t?ll? syd?mellisell? k?denpuristuksella. H?n laskosti heti paperin t?sm?lleen entiselleen, pani sen takaisin pulloon, ty?nsi tulpan paikoilleen, pani ?ljykankaan tulpan p??lle, luovutti kaiken nuoren Raybrock'in haltuun ja asteli edell? alakertaan.

Mutta alakerrassa olikin vaikeampi selvit? kuin ylh??ll?. Siit? hetkest? kun he astuivat saliin, nopea naisellinen silm? keksi, ett? jotakin oli vialla. Kitty huudahti pel?styneen?, kun h?n juoksi sulhasensa luoksi, "Alfred! Mik? h?t?n??" Rouva Raybrock huudahti kapteenille, "Hyv?nen aika! Mit? olette tehneet pojalleni, kun h?n on hetkess? muuttunut tuollaiseksi?" Ja nuori leski -- jolla oli ty?ns? k?sivarrellaan -- oli aluksi niin kiihottunut, ett? h?n pel?stytti pikku tyt?n, jota h?n piti k?dest? ja joka piilotti kasvonsa ?itins? helmoihin ja alkoi kirkua. Kapteeni, ollen tietoinen siit? ett? h?nt? pidettiin syyn? t?h?n kotoiseen muutokseen, tarkkaili sit? melko syyllinen ilme kasvoillaan odottaen, ett? nuori kalastaja tulisi h?nen avukseen.

"Kitty hyv?," sanoi nuori Raybrock, "Kitty, armahaiseni, minun t?ytyy l?hte? Lanrean'iin, ja min? en tied?, minne muualle tai kuinka kauvas viel? t?n? p?iv?n?."

Kitty tuijotti h?neen, ep?ilev?n? ja ihmeiss??n sek? vihaisena, ty?nt?en h?net k?dell??n luotansa.

"Siirretty?" huudahti rouva Raybrock. "H??t siirretty? Ja sin? l?hdet Lanrean'iin! Miksi, Herran nimeen?"

"?iti kulta, en voi sanoa miksi; min? en saa sanoa miksi. Olisi kunniatonta ja kelvotonta sanoa miksi."

"Kunniatonta ja kelvotonta?" vastasi rouva. "Eik? siin? ole mit??n kunniatonta ja kelvotonta, ett? poika s?rkee oman kihlattunsa syd?men, ja lis?ksi ?itins?kin syd?men, ilke?n muukalaisen h?m?rien salaisuuksien ja neuvojen t?hden. Miksi tulitte koskaan t?nne? Miksi ette voineet pysy? omassa pahassa kodissanne, miss? se lieneekin, sen sijaan ett? h?iritsette meid?n hiljaisten ja harmittomien ihmisten rauhaa?"

"Ja mit? min?," nyyhkytti pieni Kitty parka, "olen koskaan tehnyt teille, te kova ja julma kapteeni, ett? te tulette t?nne ja kohtelette minua t?ll? tavalla?"

Sitten he kumpikin alkoivat itke? s??litt?v?sti, kun taas kapteeni voi vain katsoa toisesta toiseen ja hillit? itse??n pit?en kiinni takkinsa kauluksesta.

"Margareta," sanoi nuori kalastaja-parka, vaipuen polvilleen Kityn jalkojen juureen, Kityn pit?ess? molemmat k?tens? kyyneli? valuvien kasvojensa edess?, sulkeakseen petturin n?kyvist??n -- mutta h?n piti sormensa harallaan ja tarkkaili h?nt? koko ajan -- "Margareta, sin? olet k?rsinyt niin paljon, aina valittamatta, sin? olet aina niin huolellinen ja ymm?rt?v?inen! Katso asiaa minun kannaltani, Hugh-raukan vuoksi."

Hiljaiseen Margaretaan ei vedottu turhaan. "Niin tahdon tehd?, Alfred," h?n vastasi. "Toivon, ettei t?m? herra olisi koskaan tullut meit? l?helle," jonka kuultuaan kapteeni puristi kaulustaan lujemmin; "mutta katson asiaa kannaltasi siit? huolimatta. Olen varma, ett? sinulla on joku painava syy ja joku riitt?v? syy tekemisillesi, vaikka se tuntuukin oudolta, ja jopa sille, ett? j?t?t kertomatta miksi teet niin, vaikka sekin tuntuu oudolta. Ja Kitty kulta, sinun tulee ajatella niin enemm?n kuin kenenk??n muun, sill? tosi rakkaus uskoo kaiken, kest?? kaiken ja luottaa kaikkeen. Ja, ?iti kuita, sinunkin t?ytyy ajatella niin, sill? sin? tied?t, ett? olet siunattu hyvill? pojilla, jotka ovat aina pit?neet sanansa, sill? heid?t on kasvatettu niin oikeaan kunnian tuntoon kuin kuka tahansa herra t?ss? maassa. Olen ihan varma, ?iti, ettei sinulla ole enemp?? syyt? ep?ill? el?v?? poikaasi kuin ep?ill? kuollutta poikaasi; ja rakkaan kuolleen vuoksi min? puolustan rakasta el?v??."

"Kas vain!" huudahti kapteeni innostuneesti, "sen min? sanon. Te olette tunnokas ja ajullinen nuori vaimo; ja min? tahtoisin ennemmin teit? mukaani vaaran hetken?, kuin puolet niist? miehist?, joiden kanssa minulla on ollut tekemist? el?iss?ni."

Margareta ei vastannut mit??n kapteenin kiitokseen, eik? n?ytt?nyt oikein k?sitt?v?n h?nen ylev?? mielipidett??n h?nen suhteensa, vaan koetti kaikin puolin lohduttaa Kitty? ja Kityn tulevaa anoppia; ja pian h?nen onnistuikin rauhoittaa molemmat, jotta taas oli hiljaa huoneessa.

"Kitty, armahaiseni," sanoi nuori kalastaja, "minun t?ytyy menn? is?si tyk? pyyt?m??n, ett? h?n luottaa minuun t?st? suuresta muutoksesta ja salaisuudesta huolimatta, ja kysym??n h?nelt? muutamia Lanrean'ia koskevia asioita. Tuletko kanssani? Tuletko kotiasi minun kanssani, Kitty?"

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