So Noll held his peace, though he was "boiling" inside.
Again the company was assembled.
"Fours right, march! By file, march!"
B Company again struck the trail, heading further up into the mountains, leaving the wagons to follow presently. Though B Company was now likely to be attacked at any time in sham battle, by C Company, it had been agreed that the respective wagon trains of the companies were to be immune from capture on this day.
"Overton, keep a distance of ten paces from the rear man of the company, and march before me," commanded Cotter. "Keep the step carefully until the order for route step comes."
Never in his life had Hal Overton felt as heart-sick as he did now.
Marching to the rear, a prisoner!
It was, in every sense, as bad as being in the guard-house.
Up ahead in the line things were "doing," but to this Hal, in his new misery, was all but blind.
Sergeant Hupner, with six men, had been sent ahead as a "point" to discover any possible enemy who might be lurking in the way of the forward progress of B Company.