Blood song by Terry C. Johnston

Author:Terry C. Johnston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 1993-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

sun down again—and it appeared Grouard and Donegan would be riding the sun up once more.

"A bleeming god-night-damned march," Seamus swore quietly.

"You afraid of the dark?" Charlie Jennesse asked.

Donegan flared with a flush of anger, but that first blush of heat was gone as quickly when he saw the smiles on Grouard's and Big Bat's faces. It told him he was accepted among them, these plainsmen who could make their way across this high land in the teeth of winter with sundown easing the light quickly out of the day.

"Been eating quarter rations of army hard bread, and chewing on dried meat for better'n four days now. Hardly out of the saddle for the last three, fellas. Yeah, suppose you might say Fm a might touchy right now."

"Me too," said the taciturn half-breed.

But the way Grouard said it, Donegan sensed that the scout was upset for an entirely different reason.

"It's Reshaw, ain't it, Frank?"

Grouard never looked at Donegan or the others when he nodded once. He kept his eyes constantly scanning across the slope ahead of them as they got to the bank of Otter Creek. He stepped out of his stirrup, knelt and dug up enough dirt and sand to fill both his mittens. He flung it across the surface of the frozen creek. Four more times he did the same, until there was enough of it to provide some traction, a little grip on the ice in their crossing.

"Reshaw makes me angry enough to kill him sometimes."

"Bad medicine, Grouard."

"I bite my tongue," the half-breed said as he climbed back into the saddle. "But one day, Louie get in so much trouble with me he can't get Crook to back him out of it."

"Wait till you're not around the army no more, Frank," Jennesse advised.

Grouard grinned, then it was gone as quickly as it had brightened his dark face. "I know."

"Just watch out for yourself," Donegan said.

"I will. You are a friend now. I like you."

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