Instantly the Lieutenant spurred his horse squarely on the savage,
grasped him by the hair, dragged him a hundred yards and flung him into
the bushes. The assault was so sudden, so unexpected, so daring, the
whole band was completely cowed, and the soldiers rode by without
attack.
Nor was the Indian the only enemy to test the youngster's mettle. The
pioneer soldiers of the rank and file in these turbulent days had minds
of their own which they sometimes dared to use.
The Lieutenant had no beard. His smooth, handsome face, clear blue eyes,
fresh color and gay laughter, gave the impression of a boy of nineteen,
when by the calendar he could boast of twenty-one.
A big strapping, bearded soldier, employed in building the Fort, had
proven himself the terror of his fellow workmen. He was a man of
enormous strength and gave full rein to an ugly, quarrelsome
disposition.
His eyes rested with decided disapproval on the graceful young master of
horses.
"I'll whip that baby-faced Lieutenant," he coolly announced to his
satellites, "if ever he opens his jaw to me--watch me if I don't. What
does he know about work?"
The men reported the threat to the Lieutenant. The next day without a
moment's hesitation, in quiet tones, he gave his first order to the
giant:
"Put that piece of dressed scantling beside the window--"
The man deliberately lifted a rough board and placed it.
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