A blanket rolled behind his saddle, a pair of leather pockets attached to his saddle, and an army overcoat, made up his equipment, for he was going "light," as the soldiers say.
There was a revolver in the holster attached to the lady's saddle, a pair of leather pockets, a closely-rolled serape, and no more, for Miss Foshay's and the lieutenant's baggage was to follow by wagon-train a few days later, when a force was to go from Colonel Crandall's post to reinforce General Brooke in the field.
"I am ready, Lieutenant Carey, and must thank you for being willing to submit to my company on your long ride," said Emma Foshay, a beautiful girl of eighteen, with a face that revealed a noble nature.
Her form showed its graceful proportions well in her close-fitting riding habit, trimmed with brass buttons and gold lace, and upon her head she wore a slouch hat with a broad brim, looped up with a pair of miniature gold sabers.
"I am happy, indeed, Miss Foshay, to have such pleasant company upon the long, and, permit me to say, rough ride. But I deem it my duty to tell you that it may be one of great peril, and that the ride may be an all night one."
"I thank you for the warning, Lieutenant Carey; but I have weighed the situation well, and I am ready to put up with all the hardships you may have to undergo, while the danger but adds a charm to the ride. Candidly, though, my mother is a great invalid, and I only stole a few weeks' respite to come here and visit papa, who had to obey orders, and if my mamma should not have me near her, knowing the situation, I feel for the result, so I am determined to go, visit father for an hour in camp, and then hasten on to the station to take the train for home. Now you understand my position, Lieutenant Carey."
"Perfectly, and am wholly at your service as an escort," and turning to his commander, Kit Carey continued:
"I report for orders, sir."
"Go with all dispatch to General Brooke, are General Miles' orders, Lieutenant Carey, to enter upon some special service he has in view for you. Here are dispatches for the commandant, giving all views from my standpoint of the situation, and you can explain the positions of the Indians. That is all, Carey, except I beg you to take care of yourself and this sweet girl, whom, I candidly say, I would not trust to any but yourself. Good-by, and Heaven bless you both."