any surgeon I know.”
Coletrain smiled. “Yes, sir, seemed like he sort of know’d what he was a’ doin’, all right.”
“Sergeant Major Coletrain?” Schuler said, as Coletrain began packing his shirttail back in.
“Yes, Schuler, what is it?”
“I think maybe you had better take a look at the guns.”
“What guns?”
“The guns we picked from back at the island,” Schuler said. “The guns the Injuns was usin’.”
“What about ’em?”
“I think you had better take a look at ’em,” Schuler said.
Benteen was in his command tent having coffee with Falcon, Cody, and Ingraham, when Coletrain stood outside and asked if he could enter.
“Of course you can come in, Sergeant Major,” Benteen replied. “Grab a stool and join us. We’re having coffee and a discussion about you.”
“About me, sir?”
“I’m putting you in for the Medal of Honor,” Benteen said.
Coletrain smiled broadly. “Well, sir,” he said. “Well, now. Yes, sir, that would be quite an honor. Especially since I don’t feel I did anything to earn it.”
“Colonel MacCallister does,” Benteen said. “And I set quite a store in what he has to say.”
“Colonel, I appreciate the kind words,” Coletrain said.
Benteen’s orderly handed a cup of coffee to Coletrain, and he thanked him, then took a swallow.
“Now then, Sergeant Major, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, sir,” Coletrain said. “Sir, after the fight, several of the men went out onto the battlefield and began gathering up the guns the Indians was usin’. I thought they was all armed awfully well, and now I know why.”
“Why?”
“Here are the serial numbers of three of the rifles.”
Coletrain pulled a little piece of paper from his pocket, then began reading from it. “410543, 410275, 410221.” He stopped reading and looked up at Benteen. “The fact is, Major, every weapon we picked up started with the numbers four one zero. I just read these three because privates Wright, Dunaway, and Karnes recognized them. They are same carbines they were carryin’ before we got the new issue, and was told to turn them in. And seein’ as I made out all the inventories, I remember that all the carbines started with the numbers four one zero.”
“What are you saying, Sergeant Major? Are you suggesting that, somehow, the Indians managed to get their hands on our old weapons?”
“Not, just somehow,” Coletrain said. “I know how they got them.”
“Depro?”
“Yes, sir.”
Benteen nodded, then got up from his stool and walked over to the door. The three soldiers Coletrain had mentioned were standing there, in case they were needed to validate the weapons as having belonged to them. Benteen believed Coletrain, and thus needed no validation. But he did need them for something else.
“Soldiers, find Sergeant Depro and bring him here.”
“Yes, sir,” Dunaway said.
“Under arrest,” Benteen added.
The three soldiers, who had no love lost as to Depro, smiled in anticipation of the assignment.
“In shackles,” Major Benteen added.
“I should have listened to you in the beginning, Sergeant Major,” Benteen said. “You suspected he had stolen the weapons when they disappeared from the arms room, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir, but all it was, was me thinkin’ it. I didn’t have any proof.”
“Well, we do now,” Benteen said.
At that moment, Private Dunaway returned.
“He ain’t nowhere around, sir,” Dunaway said. “Someone said they seen him leave, goin’ toward town.”
“Gentlemen,” Benteen said to Falcon, Cody, and Ingraham. “Would you like to go into town with me?”
Falcon and the others rode into town for the express purpose of finding and placing under arrest Sergeant Lucas Depro, but when they got the town, the reaction of the townspeople was such that they put Depro aside. The town was in a major celebration mode, with the volunteer firemen’s band playing, fireworks exploding, and a general attitude of giddiness.
“What is going on?” Benteen asked someone who was standing on the side of the street, watching all the proceedings
“Ain’t you heard? The Injuns has been whupped.”
“Are they talking about your fight at the island?” Benteen asked Falcon. “How did they find out so fast?”
