Wolf Creek Read Free Page B

was half the fun.
    "About the Cheyenne," Dent said with no
enthusiasm.
    "Yes, the interlopers. They are a danger.
They incite the Kiowa into rebellion." Major Putnam emphasized this
bit of information with a particularly hard slap of his gloves. Wil
jumped when the crack sounded like a whip above a mule team.
    "So, we're launching a campaign against the
Cheyenne? Is that it, sir?" Tom Dent frowned. "I hear from the
settlers scattered all over the prairie. The band of Cheyenne
coming from Colorado had family with them. They never even stole a
sheep or cow. Gerald Grimes, a ways to the northwest of the fort,
said he was afraid at first, then sold for good money two cows and
a plow horse he was going to put down. He told my scout that he
wished the Cheyenne would settle down here."
    "This Grimes fellow doesn't have a family,
does he?"
    "I don't know what that's got to do with his
bartering, Major. He—"
    "He had no reason to fear that his womenfolk
would be ravished."
    Wil saw Blackfeather recoil at that. The
scout almost spoke, but Dent waved him to silence with a curt
gesture.
    "There hasn't been word of anything of the
sort happening. The opposite, Major. They're moving with their
families. War parties are only braves and their mounts, intending
to ride far and strike fast."
    "I am surprised that a man of your
experience on the frontier cannot see through the ploy, Captain."
Major Putnam stopped and faced Dent squarely. Dent never
flinched.
    "What ploy is that, sir?"
    Putnam turned red in the face, sputtered and
then did a sharp about-face and walked away. Over his shoulder, he
issued his order. "Arrange to pick up supplies, Captain. Then
rejoin your company and prepare to do your duty."
    "What duty?" Blackfeather turned his back to
the retreating major. "What is he telling us to do?"
    "Cool off, Charley. He's new to Fort
Braxton. He might not want anything more than to ride out with
trumpets blaring, have this jackass take a picture of him at the
head of the column, then ride back into the post." Dent jerked his
thumb in Wil's direction.
    Being called a jackass was mild compared to
what some in town said. Such insults meant nothing to Wil. He
tossed his screwdriver into the back of his wagon, hoisted the
tripod and slid it under leather straps. With two quick yanks he
had the tripod secured so it wouldn't bounce around as they crossed
the rugged prairie. Only then did he turn to the officer and
scout.
    "You got a wagon of supplies waiting for you
at Pratt's. You don't fetch them soon, Waymon's likely to take the
Army's money and sell the lot to someone else."
    "That's what you'd do, Marsh." Dent came
over and shoved his face close to Wil's. "The major wants C Company
to babysit you. Once we're out on the trail, you fend for yourself.
Your wagon breaks down, that's your concern."
    "Are you saying you'll have this breed
sabotage my wagon?" Wil flinched when Dent lifted a fist to poke
him in the face. Only Blackfeather's grip on the captain's wrist
kept him from getting punched.
    "He's not worth the trouble, Tom."
    "You're right." Dent backed away. "Get our
horses, Charley. I'll be along in a second." He turned back to Wil.
"You're all the time spying when you ought to be minding your own
business. Have you heard the major say what he expects from this
sortie?"
    "He wants to see who in his command he can
trust. Can you follow orders, Captain Dent?"
    The cavalry officer raised his fist again,
then dropped it. Wil had seen thunderclouds stuffed full of
lightning that looked less frightening than Dent's expression. The
officer backed away took the reins of his horse as Blackfeather
held them out, then mounted. The two trotted away, leaving Wil all
by his lonesome.
    Wil knew it would take Pratt a goodly while
to load whatever the cavalry had purchased. He hitched up his
swayback horse, then climbed into the driver's box. For a moment,
he sat wondering what the hell he was riding into. Then the lure of
easy money and photographs