And there are those like Benteen who have an intense dislike for him.”
“And where are you in that picture, Major?”
“I am not on either side,” Reno replied. “I joined the Seventh Cavalry too recently to have an opinion, other than that of an officer deferring to his superior. I hasten to add, by the way, that though Benteen dislikes Custer, and I believe the feeling is mutual, my observation is that they have always behaved toward each other in a proper military manner.”
“That’s good to hear,” Falcon said. “A person can’t control how he feels, but he can control how he acts.”
“Would you join me for a drink, Colonel?” Reno asked.
“Sure, I’d be glad to,” Falcon replied, turning toward the door at the rear of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“Isn’t the bar in the other room?”
“We don’t need the bar. I have my own bottle,” Reno said, taking a bottle of whiskey from the pocket of his tunic. Pulling the cork, he wiped the mouth of the bottle with the sleeve of his jacket and handed it to Falcon.
Falcon took the bottle, held it out in salute. “Here’s to you,” he said…Then he took a drink.
Reno took the bottle back, then turned it up, taking a long, deep Adams’ apple-bobbing drink.
“How long will you be with us, Colonel?” Reno asked as he was recorking the bottle.
“My brother and sister are coming here to perform for the post,” Falcon said. “I’ll stay for that, then probably see the regiment off when you go out on your expedition.”
“It will be my first encounter with Indians, you know,” Reno said.
“No, I didn’t know.”
“I was in the war, I’ve been in battle.” Reno pulled the cork and took another drink. This time, he did not offer any to Falcon. “But that was against sane and civilized men. I’ve heard what these savages do, how they will torture a prisoner to death just for the fun of it, and how they will mutilate a body.” He took another swallow. “Even their women and children do that, they say.”
“Is Major Reno in here?” someone called from the door.
“Yes, Trooper, I am here,” Reno called back.
“Major, you said you wanted to be told when the first sergeant had the morning report ready for your signature, sir.”
“Yes, thank you,” Reno said. He put the whiskey bottle back into his pocket. “Colonel, I hope your stay is a pleasant one,” he said as he left.
“Thank you, Major.”
Chapter Ten
Tom Custer brought an ambulance into town to meet the train. The ambulance was selected because it was well sprung and offered, by far, the best ride of any vehicle on the post. Tom and Falcon had ridden in with the ambulance, which was being driven by young Boston Custer.
The train depot was a busy place, filled with entrepreneurs who planned to meet, and do business with, the arriving gold hunters as well as disgruntled gold hunters, who had already given up the quest, and were waiting for a train to take them away.
An itinerant preacher was taking advantage of the gathered crowd and was standing on a box over at the corner of the depot platform, preaching a sermon.
“Hell, yeah, Preacher. Why, if the woman ain’t sinful, they ain’t no need in me a-wastin’ my time with her,” someone shouted, and his response drew loud laughter from those who were gathered waiting for the train.
“Here comes the train!” somebody shouted, and those who had gathered around the preacher abandoned him and crowded down to the track to watch the train’s arrival.
The train rolled into the station with the bell ringing and steam gushing from the cylinders. It stopped with a squeak of steel on steel and a rattle of connectors, then sat in the station with popping, cooling journals and venting steam.
Falcon watched the passengers get off until he saw Andrew and Rosanna. Smiling, he went toward them, and shook hands with his brother and hugged his sister.
“Hello, Colonel MacCallister. We meet again, I see.”
Disengaging from the hug, Falcon turned to see a beautiful young woman smiling at him. It was the same woman he had met in Secretary Taft’s office.
“Lorena Wood,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“General Custer invited me, and I thought it might make an interesting trip. And you?”
“I came to watch my brother and sister perform,” Falcon said. “Have you met them?”
