THE MYSTERY OF POST THREE
"OH, no, your name isn't Tip Branders!" mocked Hal Overton.
"That's what I said," retorted the young man at bay.
"Then how do you know who we are?"
"I don't know who ye are, and what's more, I don't care," retorted the
other.
"Tip, I guess you've forgotten to write home lately," broke in Noll.
"What would you say if you should hear that your uncle in Australia had
died and left your mother more than two million dollars?"
The young man's eyes opened very wide indeed. He gasped, and then his
eyes flashed eagerly.
"Has the old lady all that money?" he demanded. "Noll Terry, what else
do you know about it?"
The young man came briskly forward now, all trembling with eagerness.
"I don't know anything at all about it," retorted Noll coolly, "and I
don't believe it either."
"But you said----"
"Oh, Tip, what an idiot you are to think you can deny your identity to
us," jeered Noll, while Hal laughed merrily.
"Say, if you're trying to have sport with me," snarled Tip, "I'll----"
"Is it your idea of sport to shy rocks at us?" demanded Private Hal.
"I didn't shy anything at you," asserted Tip sullenly.
"Why, for that matter," Hal went on jeeringly, "I don't suppose you'll
even admit that you're here, at all?"
"Don't get too festive, just because you've got the government's blue
clothes on," Tip retorted sullenly. "A plain, ordinary soldier ain't
such a much."
"Opinions may differ about that, of course," Hal admitted. "But being a
soldier was too much of a job for you to get a chance at, wasn't it,
Tip?"
"I'm just as well suited as it is," rejoined Tip, flushing a bit, none
the less.
"You haven't told us what you're doing out in this country," Noll
suggested.
"And I don't know that it's any of your business, either," Branders went
on. "Ain't nothing to be ashamed of, though. You know I used to travel a
bit with the political crowd at home."
"With the heelers of the city," Noll amended.
Tip scowled, but continued:
"Well, I got into a bit of a row, that's all. So I lit out until things
could blow over a bit."
"And took some of your mother's cash before you left, I heard," nodded
Private Noll Terry.
"She gave it to me," cried Tip fiercely. "Now, see here, don't you
fellows say nothing about seeing me out in this part of the country. I'm
out here trying to run down a good, new start in life. You just keep
your tongues behind your teeth as far as my affairs are concerned."
"What kind of a new start can you make out in these hills?" queried Hal.
"That's what I'm here to find out. My cash has about run out, so I'm
walking. I'm bound for a ranch about forty miles west of here, where I
expect to land a job. So don't you go to talking too much about me, and
trying to spoil me."
"Why did you try to knock me over with a small-sized boulder?" Hal
insisted.
"Because I wanted to play a joke on you," retorted Tip, with a grin.
"That's a lie, but let it go at that," rejoined Hal Overton. "It would
be too much, anyway, wouldn't it, Tip, to expect the truth from you?"
"You always were down on me," replied Branders half coaxingly. "If you'd
only taken more trouble to understand me you'd have understood that I'm
not a half bad fellow."
"No; only about nine-tenths bad," grimaced Noll derisively.
"Well, there's no use in my staying here to talk with you fellows,"
muttered Tip angrily. "You never were friends of mine. So I'll be on my
way."
"Tramping it for forty miles, are you?" called Noll, as Tip turned away.
"'Bout that," Branders called back over his shoulder.
"Then, man alive, why don't you keep to the road, instead of scrambling
over these rough boulders?"
Tip's only answer was a snort.
"Come back to the road," proposed Hal to his chum. So the two rookies
clambered back over the ledge and down onto the excellent military road.
But they caught no further glimpse of Tip Branders; plainly he preferred
different paths.
"What do you make out of Tip?" asked Noll, a minute later.
"Nothing," Hal answered, "except that he was lying, as usual, of course.
Tip never tells the truth; there's no sport in it."
"I'd like to know what he is doing out in this country."
"Oh, I reckon," suggested Hal, "that, as he couldn't be a soldier, he
thought he'd take up cowboy life as the next best thing."
"He won't last long as a cowboy," laughed Noll. "Tip hates work, and the
cowboy is about the hardest worked man in America."
"Well, we don't have to worry about Tip," muttered Hal. "We don't even
have to talk about him. Noll, look at those noble old mountains!"
"Some day, when we have enough time off, we must walk to the mountains,"
urged Noll. "I wonder how many miles away they are--five, or six?"
"Hm!" laughed Hal. "I asked Sergeant Gray, and he said that range over
there is about forty miles away."
"Forty!" Noll looked plainly unbelieving.
"You'll find out, Noll Terry, that the air in these glorious old Rocky
Mountains is so mighty clear that you can't judge distances the way you
did back East. I'd rather have Sergeant Gray's word than any evidence
that my own eyes can supply me with."
"We won't get to that mountain range, then, until we have a week off,"
sighed Noll.
After wandering about for some time more the young rookies strolled
back to barracks. Hal had yet to find Sergeant Hupner and get assigned
to a bed and a locker.
Hupner proved to be a rather short, but keen and very pleasant fellow.
He was of German origin, but had no accent in his speech, having been
educated in this country.
"You'll like the regiment, the battalion and B Company, Overton, when
you get used to us," Sergeant Hupner informed the young rookie.
"I'm sure of it, Sergeant," Hal replied. "But it'll be far more to the
point, won't it, if I make my comrades like me?"
"Oh, you'll get along all right," replied Hupner, who had had a report
on the quiet of Hal's performance with big Bill Hooper that morning.
"The main thing for a recruit, Overton, is not to act as if he knew it
all until he really does. And no old soldier does claim to know too
much. You'll have to fall in for dinner in about ten minutes. When the
company assembles report to Sergeant Gray, who'll give you your place in
the ranks."
When the two recruits marched into company mess, that noon, both Hal and
Noll felt odd. The chums had not been used to being separated.
After dinner the two were together again, however. Guided by Hyman they
went to the recreation hall, on the second floor of barracks building.
This hall was fitted up for games and sports, and at one end was a stage
with scenery.
"Who gives the shows?" asked Hal.
"Once in a great while the men chip in from company funds to hire a real
company, or troupe," replied Private Hyman. "The officers always add
something, then. But, more often, the men supply their own talent. We've
got a lot of show talent of all sorts among nearly four hundred men."
Hyman was soon called away to a drill, though not before he had pointed
out other places of interest. Hal and Noll went over to the library, the
gym. and the Y. M. C. A. building. They wound up their afternoon of
leisure by attending parade just before retreat. Retreat is always
followed, immediately, by the firing of the sunset gun and the hauling
down of the post Flag for the night.
When tattoo was sounded by the bugler that night both chums were glad
enough to turn down their beds and get into them. Neither Hal nor Noll
remained awake more than two minutes.
The windows were open, and a cool, delicious breeze, circulated through
the squad room. Hal slept the sleep of the truly tired, hearing nothing
of the martial snores of some of the men on adjoining cots. It was late
in the night when Private Overton was awakened by the sound of a rifle
shot.
"I must have been dreaming through the scenes of last night again," Hal
muttered drowsily.
None of the other men in the room appeared to have heard the sound at
all.
But now it came again. A shot was followed by a second, then by a third.
"Corporal of the guard--post number three!" yelled a lusty voice, though
the distance was such that Hal Overton heard the sound only faintly.
Crack--crack!
Then a bugle pealed on the air, though still Hal's comrades in the squad
room slumbered on.
Too curious to turn over and go to sleep again, Hal stole softly from
his cot and reached an open window on the side that looked out over the
parade.
There was no moon, but in the light of the stars Hal could see several
uniformed men running swiftly across the parade ground to officers' row.
"It's no dream," muttered Overton, intensely interested, "for there goes
the corporal with the guard. What on earth can it mean?"
There was something up--and something exciting, at that, for experienced
sentries never fire except in case of need. Moreover, several
sentries--no fewer than four--had just fired almost simultaneously.
Nor did the corporal and his squad return within the next few minutes.
Whatever it was that had resulted in turning out the guard, the need for
the guard plainly still continued.
"There's no more shooting, anyway," Hal reflected. "I may as well go
back to bed."
It was some minutes ere he could sleep. When he did fall off it seemed
as though only a minute or two had passed when the bugle again pealed.
Hal was on his feet in a second. So were most of the other soldiers in
the squad room this time.
"Why, it's daylight now," uttered Hal, looking astounded.
"Of course it is, rook," laughed the soldier whose bed was next to
Hal's. "That bugler sounded first call to reveille. Don't you know what
that is yet?"
In other words the soldier's alarm clock had "gone off." Though all of
these men had slept through the call for the corporal of the guard,
simply because it did not concern them, every man had turned out at the
first or second note of "first call to reveille."
Every man dressed swiftly. As soon as he got his clothing on each
soldier turned up his bedding according to the regulations.
There was some "policing" of the room done. That is, everything was made
shipshape and tidy. Last of all, and within a very few minutes from the
start, the men made their way briskly to the sinks, where soap and
water, comb and brush, put on the finishing touches. A sergeant, two
corporals and nearly a score of men were now as neat and clean as
soldiers must ever be.
"What was that row in the night, Corporal? Do you know?" Hal asked.
"What row in the night?" asked Corporal Cotter.
"Why, there was a lot of shooting, and a call for the corporal of the
guard to post number six."
"First I've heard of it," replied Corporal Cotter. "But we'll know
before long. Now, step lively, rook, for you're on duty with the rest
to-day."
By the time that Sergeant Gray's squad room emptied at the call of the
bugle it was instantly plain outside that something unusual was going
on.
A and D Companies, as they fell in, proved each to be twenty men short.
"There are extra guards out, and a picket down the road to town,"
muttered Private Hyman, who stood next to Hal in the ranks.
"What does it mean?" asked Hal Overton, but instantly his thoughts went
back to the shots and the excitement of the night.
"Silence in the ranks," growled Corporal Cotter.
But at breakfast tongues were unloosed. Hal quickly told what little he
had seen and heard in the night. Others passed the gossip that twenty
men had been silently summoned from a squad room in A Company, and
twenty more from a squad room in D Company.
"There's some mischief floating in the air--that's certain," muttered
Private Hyman.
"How did you happen to be up to see and hear it all, Overton?" demanded
Sergeant Gray.
Hal explained, frankly and briefly, but the sergeant's eyes were keenly
questioning.
Before the meal was over the company commander, Captain Cortland,
entered the room.
"Keep your seats, men. Go on with your breakfast. Sergeant Gray, I will
speak with you for a moment."
The first sergeant hastily rose, going over to his captain and saluting.
After the company commander had gone, at the end of a brief, almost
whispered conversation, Gray came back to his seat, looking wholly
mysterious.
"B Company, rise," ordered the first sergeant, at the end of the meal.
"Attention! The men of this company will have ten minutes for
recreation, then be prepared to fall in at an extra inspection on the
parade ground. After filing out of here no man will go indoors again
before inspection."
"Is it to be inspection without arms, Sergeant Gray?" called Sergeant
Hupner.
"Inspection just as you stand," replied Sergeant Gray, then gave the
marching order.
"What on earth is up, Hal?" demanded Noll, when the two young rookies
met outside of mess a few minutes later.
"I wish I knew," was Hal's puzzled reply.