Private: You just ought to have been up the road with the boys a couple of hours ago. I tell you, we had heaps of fun. Talk about Indians!
| Lieutenant (jumping up) | } | Indians! |
| Sergeant (rushing to him) |
Private (crossing over): Indians! (Waving his hands for them to remain calm.) No, just one poor lonesome, hungry Indian—an old one at that.
| Lieutenant | } | Did they kill him? |
| Sergeant |
Private: I guess not! the Captain was there.
Lieutenant: Well, what did they do to make any fun?
Private: Well, they all ran at him with their guns, yelling "Redskin! Scalp him! Kill him! He's what we're after." Then the frightened old fellow drew from his belt a letter and whined out "Me good Injun, me no harm paleface. See—paper; from big white war chief." Someone grabbed the letter and read it aloud. It was from General Cass and said that the bearer Gerolomo was a friendly Indian and that he must be given food and shelter.
Lieutenant: Forged letter, no doubt.
Sergeant: I bet he was a spy.
Private: That's just what the others said. They all got around him and yelled "Shoot him! Kill him!" till I didn't think the poor beggar's life was worth two bits. He thought so, too, I guess, for he was so scared that he was almost white. They were all around him so that he couldn't run—tell you it looked tough. (Draws long breath.)