Free The Red Hills by James Marvin

outriders.
    But there was nobody else to come.
    His eyes locked with those of Lieutenant Crow of the Third Cavalry and there was a momentary flash of recognition.
    Perhaps when he realized how easily he had been tricked. Perhaps a gleam of amusement. It was impossible to say.
    What was certain was that he recognized the white man.
    With a grunt he tugged at the rope bridle of his pony and galloped quickly away. Leaving Crow behind on his tired stallion to rein in and wait for Captain Menges to come to him with his grateful thanks for the brilliant and timely rescue.
    When Menges came up to him he was sweating furiously, and his fat cheeks were stained with powder smoke. He marched straight to where Crow waited, saluting his superior officer.
    'What in fuckin' hell kept you so long, you yellow-bellied son of a bitch bastard?' Menges said.

Chapter Seven
    The ride back to the camp wasn't a happy one.
    Menges rode far ahead of the men, stiff-backed with anger. In the confrontation with Crow there had been no word of thanks. No appreciation of Crow's brilliance in driving off an attacking force of a hundred hostile Sioux with just three Troopers. No recognition when Crow briefly told him about the attack that he had previously beaten off, losing only the one man.
    Just whining and moaning about the way Crow with his relief force had left him to die, only finally coming along when he had thought that it was safely done.
    The charge was so shocking and so absurd that Crow was silent for a moment, before speaking up in his own defense. The rest of the men with him had also tried to speak but Menges had angrily waved them away barely heeding the words of Sergeant McLaglen. The veteran was wounded with a bullet buried in his left arm, below the shoulder, but he insisted on coming up and reminding Menges just what his orders had been to Crow.
    'With respect, Sir,' he had said firmly, ignoring the look of blazing hatred from Menges, 'but you left the Lieutenant with just four Troopers and I heard you tell him on no account was he to come to our aid unless you sent him a galloper.'
    For one wild moment Crow had thought that the Captain was actually going to strike the tall Sergeant in the face for daring to speak up against him. But Menges regained his self-control, staring into McLaglen's eyes.
    'Not long to retirement, is it, Sergeant? I would advise you to step very carefully or you will find that pension you look for has faded away like the dew in the morning.'
    He had said nothing more to either of them, merely ordering a return to camp and the retrieval of the bodies.
    McLaglen had ridden alongside Crow on the slow walk to camp and had told him more of what had happened with the Sioux.
    It was much as Crow had guessed.
    'Ridin' along there like Jesus Christ all-goddamned mighty. Nose in the air, whisky in his canteen. No scouts out. No men ridin' flanks for us. They come up like ants boilin' from a nest. Must have been in a draw that ran both sides of the way we was goin,' I guess that they knew Menges had seen their bait and had bitten at it. Knew he'd be comin' out this way with us strung on the damned hook along of him. Jesus! It makes me want to throw up.'
    Trice of foolishness comes high in the Dakotas, Sergeant,' said Crow, glancing back along the remnants of the column.
    Apart from Clynes, whose body they'd picked up on the way back, the eyes and soft parts of the face missing to the birds, there were seven other corpses dangling over the backs of their horses, wrists and ankles roped together to stop them slipping into the dirt. Eight dead out of twenty, with one man gut-shot and sure to die within the next couple of days. And McLaglen wounded in the arm, and four or five other Troopers with minor injuries.
    As they got near to camp, Sergeant McLaglen spoke again to Lieutenant Crow. 'You any guessin' 'bout what Menges figures to do with us next, Mister Crow?'
    'Ask me about Crazy Horse's plans, Sergeant, and I'd have just