With a grin the officer directed the men to advance. The sergeant,
seeing that he realized their serious predicament, said:
"I think, lieutenant, you had better leave them where they are; we are
holding this rock up pretty hard."
They stood there and looked at each other. "We's in a fix," said Otto.
"I want volunteers to climb this rock," finally demanded the officer.
The sergeant looked up the steps, pulled at the lariat, and commented:
"Only one man can go at a time; if there are Indians up there, an old
squaw can kill this command with a hatchet; and if there are no Indians,
we can all go up."
The impatient officer started up, but the sergeant grabbed him by the
belt. He turned, saying, "If I haven't got men to go, I will climb
myself."
"Stop, lieutenant. It wouldn't look right for the officer to go. I have
noticed a pine-tree, the branches of which spread over the top of the
rock," and the sergeant pointed to it. "If you will make the men cover
the top of the rim-rock with their rifles, Bordeson and I will go up;"
and turning to the Swede, "Will you go, Otto?"
"I will go anywhere the sergeant does," came his gallant reply.
"Take your choice, then, of the steps or the pine-tree," continued the
Virginian; and after a rather short but sharp calculation the Swede
declared for the tree, although both were death if the Indians were on
the rim-rock. He immediately began sidling along the rock to the tree,
and slowly commenced the ascent.
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