THE YOUNGSTER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4902, 17 March 1894, Page 2

THE YOUNGSTER.

(New York Sun.) He had come out to us as a second lieutenant—a young and beardless graduate from West Point— and the ragged old troopers who had been fighting Indians for three years smiled in contempt. Pity was mingled with contempt, however. Ifc was unjust to the boy to put bim up against the savage Apaches for his first trial. Even «ome of the veteran officers of the war had made a bad failure of it when they came out to tho plains. The youngßter, as the men called him, had been with us a fortnight when the colonel ordered him out on a scout. We were to go down the valley fonr miles, turn to the weat, and ride down the bank of Walnut Greek three miles and then come back over the hills. One sergeant, one corporal — twenty-five troopers in all. At that time the chances were against sighting an Indian, but the movement would tell their spies that we were alert and watchful. In due time we reached the cresk and turned in. It was lined with trees and bushes, and offered cover to an enemy. The youngster gave no orders, however, and appeared greatly surprised when he looked back and observed the attitude of the men. They held their carbines ready for what might come and obliqued off againßt the hiilside. I think the officer waß abont to hurl come indignant protest at us when we got a volley from the bushes. Evory man in that troop realised on the inßtont that we had only ton or a dozen redskins to deal witty—every man but the officer. Had we wheeled into line, fired a volley and charged, we ehould have driven them from cover and had a good show to exterminate the band. The youngster was rattled by the suddenness of the attack, and because two or throo horses went down he 1 lost his head and ordered ua to push forward at a gallop, leaving two men who had been dismounted, but were unhurt, to ' be deliberately ehot down as they sought for cover. We had dashed forward i about half a mile, when every trooper • suddenly pulled up and wheeled about. ■ No one gave the order, but all acted in ' concert. We were too late to Bave our comradea, but the sight of their mutilated ' bodies brought shouts for revenge as we charged the thicket. Wo got a feeble volley, and another horse went down, but in ten minutes we had wiped out the last i warrior. Nine of them had put the twenty-five of us to flight. The youngster was brought back to u_ by the sound of tho firing. His face wore a look of astonishment and dismay aa be caw the dead. When he was informed that we had made a cowardly retreat before such a Bmall force, and when a trooper held up the scalp locks of our dead comrades and growled out that they had been abandoned to their fate when a cool head would have saved them, the face of the young man was white as death, and he made no reply. A trooper was Bent to the fort for an ambulance to oarry in the dead, and after beating up the bushee again wo eat down to await hia return. The lieutenant dismounted and eat by himself. Por a long time he sat with hie face in hig hands gazing at tho earth, and there wasn't one of us who didn't feel sorry for bim. By and by he called the sergeant over to him and asked:— " Sergeant, did you realize that we were being fired on by bo email a force f " " I judged them to number from nine to twelve, air," was tho reply. " And had you been in command what notion would you have taken ? " " Pours right, wheel, and a volley and charge. That would have been my way if they had numbered 100, for a dash would have driven them from cover and let ne in." "And the order I gave was to push forward, which was the same aa retreat P " " So we understood, sir." " And you returned and attacked without orders ? " "Without orders, eir." "That will do, sergeant. The ambulance should be here soon. Tou Bee abont the bodies. Try and tell a plain, straight story about the fight when you report to the captain." With that ho got up and moved up the hill a3 if surveying the conntry, and no ono happened to bo looking at him when he put hia revolver to his head and sent a I bullet into hio brains. He waa dead before we reached him. Poor youngster 1 A court martial would have dismissed him from the service. Even had no chargee

been preferred, he could not have held his be&t np among men — fighting men. "Say," exclaimed the sergeant, aB we stood looking at the body, "he made a mistake, but paid for it with his life, and no man shall speak ill of bim. He waß a youngster, and had never se<>n an Injun, and that's ali that ailed him."