"I told him that I had not, sir," was the prompt reply.
The judge advocate posted the reply on his record sheet, and wrote the answer below. Then came another slip.
"What answer did you give the captain when asked if any man had ridden back toward the Niobrara the morning the troop left there for Red Cloud?"
The sergeant's throat seemed to clog a little, but he gulped down the obstruction. "I said no man went back, sir."
"What buildings, if any, were there near the spot where the troop was in bivouac on the Niobrara?"
Dawson's face was losing its ruddy hue, but the beads of sweat were starting afresh.
"An old empty log hut, sir. I didn't take much notice of it, sir."
"How far from the sentries was it?"
"I don't just know, sir. Two or three hundred yards perhaps." His lips were beginning to twitch, and his eyes to wander nervously from face to face.
"How much money did you lose with your wallet that night?"