CHAPTER XVII

VOLUNTEER TROOPS AT LARNED

Tom returned from Fort Larned that evening. He hoped that his intercession for Flaherty would procure a mitigation of the usual penalty; but desertion, even under extenuating circumstances, was too serious an offence to pass without at least a form of punishment. The culprit was put in the guard-house, with a fair prospect, however, of being released and restored to duty before long.

The long-expected three companies of volunteer cavalry had arrived to relieve the old garrison, and as soon as the government property could be transferred from the old officials to the new, the old garrison--two companies of Second Infantry and one of Second Dragoons--would march away to Fort Leavenworth. A week later our old comrades, the regulars, were gone.

On his return from his next visit to Fort Larned, two weeks later, Tom had much to say about the lack of discipline shown by the volunteers at the fort, and as we gathered around the mess box, after putting the mules away, he continued his complaints.

"The volunteers don't know anything about soldiering," said Tom, "an' the officers are no better. It nearly broke my heart to see the miserable imitation of military service they're gettin' off.

"Now, to give you an idea of their style, compared with regulars, what would you think to see a buck private in his dirty fatigues come a-saunterin' up to the adjutant's office, flop himself down in a chair, hoist his muddy boots up onto a table, push his hat back, an' say to the commanding officer, who was occupying a similar position on the opposite side of the table: 'Well, Joe, what do you think of this layout, as far as you've got?'"

"Oh, come now, Tom," said Jack with an incredulous smile, "you don't expect us to believe such a yarn as that?"

"It's gospel truth," exclaimed the old man. "Here's another sample of how they do it: A captain was standin' in front of the adjutant's office smokin' a cigar, an' a corporal strolled up to him an' asked: 'I say, Cap, have you got the mate to that about your clothes?'"

"Peck, do you believe him?" said Jack, appealing to me; and without waiting for my answer, he continued: "I do be afeared Tom's been mixin' his drinks."

"Here's another one," said Tom. "A lieutenant an' about a dozen men come out of their quarters an' started straggling off toward the stables, an' I followed 'em to see what they were up to. They went into the stable an' went to saddling their horses to go somewheres. By and by the lieutenant got his horse saddled an' called back into the stable: 'Are you all ready there, boys?' Some were ready, an' come leadin' their horses out; but one fellow called back to him: 'Don't you get in such a rush there now, for I've got to put my spurs on yet.' Another fellow said: 'I've got a notion not to go, for I told the sergeant not to put my name on this detail.' 'Oh, yes, John, you'd better come along. We'll have a good time,' said the lieutenant, kind of coaxing him.

"Well, after callin' back again to the man who hadn't got his spurs on, an' getting the answer that he was about ready, instead of giving his commands in military style, to 'Lead into line!' 'Count fours!' 'Prepare to mount!' 'Mount!' 'Form ranks!' an' then move out 'by fours,' how do you suppose he did it? Well, sir, he just says: 'Well, get on your horses, boys,' an' climbed onto his horse, an' started off, saying as he looked back over his shoulder: 'Come ahead, fellows.' An' they straggled off after him.

"Well, they're good enough men, on an average, I guess," continued Tom, "an' will make good soldiers if they just had the right sort of officers over 'em; for good officers make good soldiers, an' _vice versa_. But how can the blind lead the blind? Their officers can't instruct the men, for the officers don't know anything about military matters themselves. An' it's one of the truest sayings that ever was said that 'familiarity breeds contempt'; an' if an officer, or even a non-com, expects to command the respect and obedience of them that's subject to his orders, he's got to hold himself aloof from 'em, to a reasonable degree; an' he's got to prove himself competent to command 'em."

Naturally, Jack and I became very anxious to go over to the fort and see things for ourselves, and when the time came for going after our next mail and taking in another load of wolfskins Tom agreed to let us both make the trip, on a strict promise from Jack that he would not taste liquor.

At the post we found the state of affairs about as Tom had represented. Officers and men seemed equally ignorant of military affairs and especially of frontier service.

While loafing about the sutler's store next day, Weisselbaum came out of his back room and, calling me to one side, said confidentially:

"I've got a job for you, Peck, and there's good pay in it, too. It's this way: There's a young man here, Lieutenant Lang, in command of one of these companies; he's got plenty of money; his father's rich an' furnishes him plenty. He's a first-rate fellow. But he's considerably embarrassed just now," he continued; "the captain of the company has been away from it for several months, leaving the lieutenant in command, and during that time he has received a lot of government property, for which he's got to account, of course, and he's kept no accounts and has nothing to show what's become of this stuff. You see, he's in a bad fix, and unless he can find some one who understands these affairs to help him out, he's going to have to pay the government several hundred dollars--maybe as much as a thousand or two--out of his own pocket, or his daddy's rather. He stated his case to me and asked if I knew of any one that he could get to straighten up his company papers; and when I saw you I remembered that you used to be company clerk in your old company at Fort Riley, and I thought you would know how to help him out of the scrape, if anybody would. He'll be willing to pay you big for it. What do you say to the job?"

"I hardly know what to say," I replied. "I'll have to consult my partners over at the camp before I can give an answer. It may be that I can arrange with them to get away from the wolf hunting business long enough to do this work for the lieutenant, but I can't promise it till I consult Tom and Jack."

"Well, come back into my office," said Weisselbaum, "and let me make you acquainted with Mr. Lang, and you can talk it over with him."

On following him into his back room I was introduced to a pleasant-looking young officer of about twenty-five, who wore the uniform and shoulder-straps of first lieutenant of cavalry, but whose appearance showed evidences of dissipation. He seemed pleased to find a man who understood Uncle Sam's ways of transacting business, and still more gratified when I told him that I thought possibly I could find means to relieve him of a part, if not all, of his accountability; which he knew meant not only the saving of so many dollars, but would prevent an official investigation that might result in his dismissal from the service. I told him I could not promise to take charge of his papers and begin on the work until I had consulted my partners. He would pay me a hundred dollars, he said, to make the effort and do what I could for him, and two hundred if I succeeded in clearing him of all his accountability and put his company papers in good shape, so that his company clerk could thereafter keep them straight.

I promised him that I would return in a day or two probably prepared to go to work on his accounts. This so pleased him that he called for a bottle of champagne, in which, however, I declined joining him and retired, leaving him and Weisselbaum drinking the wine.

Jack and I had seen enough of the rawness of these volunteers to fully corroborate Tom's reports, and as we drove back to camp I informed my comrade of the proposition I had received for straightening out the tangles in which the lieutenant had involved himself.

"How long's it going to take you?" he asked.

"About two or three weeks, I think," I replied.

"Well, of course we'll let you off for that long, in consideration of the big pay you'll be getting."

When we got to camp and I had stated the proposition to Tom, he replied promptly:

"Jump onto it, by all means. You won't often find such chances as that for making money layin' around loose on the plains or anywhere else. That's big money for a little work. Jack an' me'll give you a leave of absence long enough to make yourself a nice little wad on the side."

"No, Tom," I answered. "I won't have it that way. We have agreed, all along, that this is a full partnership of the firm of Vance, Flannigan & Peck and that whatever we make or lose we are to share equally. Jack insisted on this rule when he captured Black Prince, and I shall insist that whatever I make on this work shall be turned into the general fund."

"Well, suit yourself about it," said Tom indifferently; "any way to keep peace in the family. We'll call it detached service you're on, then, instead of a leave of absence."

The matter being settled, next day I rode Prince over to the fort and began looking up material to begin the work in hand. By searching the adjutant's office and quartermaster's store I found the requisite blanks and books for opening up a full set of company accounts, including muster and pay rolls, for I found the lieutenant had little or nothing in the way of papers except the invoices of property he had received. Having duly established an office in one of Lang's rooms and got everything ready for business, I said to the lieutenant:

"Now, Mr. Lang, in order that you may get the full benefit of my services in this work, it is best that you have your first sergeant and company clerk in attendance here whenever they can be spared from their other duties, and let me be instructing them, so that they can continue the work after I get things straightened out for them."

"A good idea," he admitted. "I'll go over to his office and have a chat with the sergeant about it, and if he thinks he'd like to learn your style of keeping accounts I'll invite him to come over and see how you do it and bring his clerk along."

"Why, lieutenant," I said in some surprise at this evidence of slack discipline, "I thought you were in command of the company."

"So I am; so I am. Why?"

"Well, in that case, it's your place to order the attendance of your sergeant and clerk and their place to obey promptly."

"Yes, yes. That's the way you do in the regulars, I suppose; but, you know, we ain't so particular in the volunteers, and I find it's best to keep on good terms with my first sergeant 'cause he'll make trouble for me if I cross him."

"Well, excuse me; I forgot myself," I replied with ill-concealed disgust. "I wasn't employed by you to teach you discipline. But if you can persuade your sergeant to come over, I'll see if I can interest him in these papers."

But the sergeant refused to take instructions from "one of them swell-headed regulars who think they know it all." The company clerk, however, cheerfully placed himself under my tutelage and picked up the work rapidly.

By taking invoices of the property Lieutenant Lang had on hand and comparing them with the invoices of what he had received, I soon found what was deficient. I then set his men to work looking about the post and gathering up, from among the rubbish and castaway property abandoned by the outgoing garrison, every old article of quartermaster's and ordnance stores and camp and garrison equipage that could be found. I then asked the lieutenant to call on the commanding officer for a board of survey, who inspected and condemned the stuff and ordered it burned, thereby relieving Lang of his accountability for it.

There was still a considerable shortage of arms and things that I could not pick up about the post and get condemned, but, on learning that this company had been engaged in a skirmish with the rebels in Missouri recently, I covered a considerable deficit on the returns as "lost in action," on the affidavits of soldiers, and accounted for some other stuff as legitimately "worn out or expended in the public service."

By these and other methods usually resorted to in the regular service to cover deficiencies I soon had Lieutenant Lang's accountability reduced to the property he actually had on hand; and, while doing so, instructed his company clerk so that thereafter he could easily keep the accounts in safe shape.

My work for Lang attracted considerable attention from the other company commanders and they soon got to dropping in to consult me in regard to making out papers and all sorts of military matters.

At the expiration of my contract, Lieutenant Lang cheerfully paid me the two hundred dollars--which I deposited with Weisselbaum to the credit of the firm--and expressed himself as glad to get out of his recent dilemma so cheaply.

While at this work I was often one of the busiest men about the post. These officers, though inexperienced, were gentlemanly fellows, and not having had that regular army legend ground into them about the impassable gulf between the enlisted man and the commissioned officer, though knowing that I had but recently been a private soldier, treated me as an equal. Even the major commanding often consulted me on technical affairs, and offered to use his influence to procure me a commission in the regiment if I would join his command, which kind offer I declined with thanks. I had made up my mind not to bind myself to Uncle Sam again, though--after this wolf hunting campaign--I planned to enter the service as a scout or wagon-master or in some civilian capacity that would give me more freedom than as a soldier or officer.