"
Barrows was trying to attract the other officer's attention with
vigorous shakes of his head, which Ted, although his back was toward
Barrows, saw reflected in the window.
What could the matter be? Were they so short of beef at the post and a
beef issue coming off, and then attempt to bluff him with their army
rulings? He saw through it all, and now he would stand pat, and take
nobody's bluff.
The officer walked away at a signal from the colonel, who turned to Ted.
"I want you to go back to your herd and drive it into the government
pasture at once, do you hear, at once?" he said in a tone of great
severity.
"I think not," said Ted. "The herd stays where it is until morning, or
if it must be driven at all it will be over the way it came."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"I mean that I forfeit the contract. The cattle are mine to do with as I
please. I shall immediately proceed to drive them off the reservation."
"But that will ruin you."
"That's my business. Good evening, sir."
"Wait a moment. Don't you know that we must have the beef; that there is
an Indian beef issue to-morrow?"
"I didn't know it until a moment ago. Now I know a lot more than I did
when I came here."
"Confound it, boy, there'll be an Indian uprising if we don't give them
their beef to-morrow.
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