José — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JOSE. 95 after a short scrutiny of the new arrival, and now ordered the formation of the corral. “You come from Fort Atkinson?” he asked, turn- ing to the soldier who had stretched himself in the erass as if totally exhausted; “when did you leave there?” “'T'wo or three days ago or such a matter, sir!” he replied, faintly, but with an unmistakable Irish accent. “My head finally lost all reckoning of time.” The wagon-boss looked into the pale, wasted face of the soldier; then turned away and beckoned one of the drivers to provide for him. Soon the camp- fires were blazing, the kettles boiling, and the in- evitable beans sputtering in a strong stew of buffalo meat. The soldier was watching the preparations of the meal with hungry looks, then eagerly de- voured his portion, and but reluctantly yielded to the restraint of moderation forced upon him by the - consideration of his long fast. “Did you leave the fort of your own free will?” asked Wood, who with Green and the latter’s com- panion, had seated himself near the guest when the meal was finished. “Well, with about as much free will as any man can be said to have at the fort, now a days, or I would not have thought of deserting,” was the answer. “One day you can see nothing but red- skins and horses on either. side of the river; the next they come into the fort regardless of the garri- son, walk through the houses and rooms, cut up all kinds of Indian shines and then depart, just to show what they could do if they wanted to. For the next few days you can’t see a trace of them. The whole business struck me from the start as being the old Eomichboo S (E(e)