They were on foot, but they were well armed,
well clothed, and they had supplies loaded in several wagons, purchased
hastily in the village. A dozen of the strong mountaineers volunteered
to be drivers and guides, and the major was glad to have them. Later,
several horses were secured for the officers, but, meanwhile, the train
was ready to depart.
Colonel Newcomb waved them farewell, the faithful and valiant Canby
opened the throttle, and the train steamed away. The men in the little
column, although eager for their new task, watched its departure with
a certain sadness at parting with their comrades. The train became
smaller and smaller, then it was only a spiral of smoke, and that, too,
soon died on the clear western horizon.
"And now to find Thomas!" said Major Hertford, who retained Dick and
Warner on his staff, practically its only members, in fact. "It looks
odd to hunt through the mountains for a general and his army, but we've
got it to do, and we'll do it."
The horses for the officers were obtained at the suggestion of Sergeant
Whitley, and the little column turned southward through the wintry
forest. Dick and Warner were riding strong mountain ponies, but at
times, and in order to show that they considered themselves no better
than the others, they dismounted and walked over the frozen ground.
The greatest tasks were with the wagons containing the ammunition and
supplies. The mountain roads were little more than trails, sometimes
half blocked with ice or snow and then again deep in mud.
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