Novel 1966 - Kilrone (v5.0) by Louis L’Amour Read Free Book Online

the Bannocks. He had rifles to spare, ammunition, and ponies. Moreover, Iron Dave, by a few carefully placed comments to other Bannocks, let them believe that the horse soldiers feared Medicine Dog. Gradually, Medicine Dog’s influence grew; from being a comparative outsider, he soon was sitting in council with the chiefs, and the young bucks gathered around him.
    At first Iron Dave was wary of his protégé, but as time went on he became more assured in his dealings with the Indian, and even a little contemptuous. After all, had he not practically created the Dog? Had he not built him into a position of influence?
    And Medicine Dog had proved a wily tactician. He wasted no men, he wasted no effort. The blows he struck were few but decisive. His “medicine” was good, and the feeling developed among the Indians that he was a chosen one, that with him victory was assured.
    His massacre of Webb and his patrol had been a complete success. Medicine Dog had moved on advance information. He knew how many men were with Webb and how they were armed, and he knew their intended route. The ambush had been a total victory. At the first volley from the Indians nine men fell, one of them being Webb, on whom four Indians had been directed to fire. Another among the first to fall was the only line sergeant in the troop.
    Into the plunging, struggling horses and the shouting cavalrymen, the Indians poured a deadly fire at almost point-blank range. Two more dropped. Another’s horse bolted into the ranks of the Indians, where the rider was pulled from the saddle and stabbed to death. The entire action required only fifteen minutes, and not an Indian was killed; only three were wounded.
    Medicine Dog knew all about Captain Mellett, and knew of his line of march, but he had no intention of meeting him in the field. Leaving behind a small force to harass Mellett, the Dog started for the post with the main body.
    The small group he left behind had definite orders. They were not to engage in a battle. They were to draw the soldiers’ fire, get them to expend ammunition. They were to steal or drive off their horses if possible, inflict what casualties they could. Medicine Dog wanted M Troop to return to the post a weary, bedraggled lot, needing ammunition, and exasperated at not having come to grips with the enemy.
    If all his plans went well, he hoped to be inside the post buildings, waiting for Mellett’s men to line up on the parade ground before the order to fall out.
    Medicine Dog aimed high. He wanted not only complete destruction of the force at the post, but the post itself. But the destruction of the post would wait until it had been thoroughly looted. With the arms and ammunition from the fort, he would gather a much larger force and move against Fort Halleck, or against Harney if that seemed easier at the moment.
    His force now numbered some two hundred warriors. When the news of his victories got out he would have a thousand, perhaps two thousand.
    One thing disturbed him, and it disturbed him because it did not fit…one of his braves, circling around after the fight with Colonel Webb and I Troop, found the tracks of a lone rider. Back-tracking, the Indian discovered that the rider had seen the bodies of the massacred troop. The Indian had lost the trail of the rider when he attempted to follow him.
    Who was the lone rider? Where had he gone? Was he enemy or friend? He rode a shod horse, but so did many Indians, now that some rode stolen or captured horses. The rider had walked his horse away from the massacre, and seemed to be in no hurry to get wherever he was going.
    No matter…Medicine Dog headed for the post, unaware that Major Frank Bell Paddock, with sixty men, was headed north, toward him.
    And also unaware that the post lay exposed and seemingly helpless, defended by no more than fourteen men.
     
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    A COOL WIND was blowing from the north, and the sky was cloudy. Riding beside Paddock was Hank Laban, fur trapper,