The
"long roll" was beaten on the infantry drums, and "boots and saddles"
sounded by the cavalry bugles, and
These are calls that startle all
who hear them, and strike terror to the heart of every army woman.
They mean that something is wrong - very wrong - and demand the
immediate report for duty at their respective companies of every
officer and man in the garrison.
Faye jumped into his uniform, and saying a hasty good-by, ran to his
company, as did all the other officers, and very soon we could hear
the shouting of orders from every direction.
Our house is at the extreme end of the officers' line and very
isolated, therefore Mrs. Hunt and I were left in a most deplorable
condition, with three little children - one a mere baby - to take care
of. We put them all in one bed and covered them as well as we could
without a light, which we did not dare have, of course. Then we saw
that all the doors and windows were fastened on both sides. We decided
that it would be quite impossible for us to remain shut up inside the
house, so we dressed our feet, put on long waterproof coats over our
nightgowns as quickly and silently as possible, and then we sat down
on the steps of the front door to await - we knew not what. I had firm
hold of a revolver, and felt exceedingly grateful all the time that I
had been taught so carefully how to use it, not that I had any hope of
being able to do more with it than kill myself, if I fell in the hands
of a fiendish Indian.
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