ARRIVAL AT THE FORT. 307 



silent. On finding that my mare was a long way be 

 hind, and that old Druid, in his chase of the wolf, was 

 far out of sight, I begged Major Martin to follow him 

 up, when, leaving orders with my ambulance man to 

 send the mare after me, snatching up my gun and 

 straight English hunting-horn, I ran off on the line 

 Druid had taken. Like all animals of his class, the 

 wolf had gone a down wind course, which luckily left the 

 recall of my horn available to the ears of Druid ; so, 

 having reached the crown of a hill, which enabled me to 

 distinguish that Major Martin had pulled up, I touched 

 my horn to get back the hound. It was not very long 

 before I caught sight of a dark speck coming to me, 

 varying in his gallop according as the sound of his well- 

 known horn might reach him, and Druid returned, hav 

 ing had a very good gallop to put him in wind, for 

 expected deer. 



After this little diversion, I bagged a brace of grouse, 

 and trotting my ambulance freely, we eventually reached 

 the Kansas river, on which the fort stands, soon after two 

 o'clock p.m., when, having requested the person living 

 by the bridge to direct Mr Canterall to a good place for 

 my encampment on the same side the river as the Fort, I 

 repaired to the barracks and found that Bayard had 

 safely arrived, and awaiting me the heartiest and kindest 

 reception. Why Bayard had trotted on was very soon 

 made evident, for in his quarters he entertained all his 

 brother officers and myself to as good a dinner as any 

 man could desire to sit down to lots of champagne and 

 excellent roast beef, thoroughly seasoned by that sort of 

 good fellowship which should exist between soldiers and 

 gentlemen and a more agreeable dinner of the sort I 

 never desire to share. 



