The Andre Norton Megapack - 15 Classic Novels and Short Stories

then he transferred with me into General Buford’s Scouts. He’s about nineteen or twenty, has reddish hair and a scar here—” With a forefinger Drew traced a line from the left corner of his mouth to his left temple. “He was shot in the left shoulder pretty bad when we were separated.”
    The captain nodded. “I’ll keep a lookout. A lot of Texans pass through here on their way home.”
    “Thank you, suh. Should you have any news, I’d be obliged to hear it. My name’s Drew Rennie, suh, and you can address a message care of the Barrett’s, Oak Hill. That’s in Fayette County, Kentucky.”
    But the chance of ever receiving any such news was, Drew thought, very improbable. That afternoon when he tried to find Boyd, he, too, was missing and none of the headquarters company knew where the boy had gone.
    “Ain’t pulled out though,” Webb assured. “Said as how you two were plannin’ to head north with the Kaintuck boys right after the old man says good-bye. Guess I’ll trail ’long with you for a spell. You gotta cross Tennessee to git to Kaintuck.”
    “Goin’ home, Will?”
    “Guess so. Heard tell as how they burned out m’ old man. Dunno, that theah’s sure hard-scrabble ground; we never did make us a good crop on it. Maybe so, we’ll try somewheah’s else now. Sorta got me an itchin’ foot. Maybe won’t tie down anywheah for a spell.”
    “What about you, Injun?” Drew turned to Croff.
    “Goin’ back to the Nations. Guess they had it hard there too, General Watie and the Union ‘Pins’ raidin’ back and forth. They’ll need schools though, and someone to teach ’em—”
    “You a teacher, Injun?” Webb was plainly startled.
    “Startin’ to be one, before the bands started playin’ Dixie so loud,” Croff said, smiling. “Maybe I’ve forgotten too much, though. I have to see if I can fit me in behind a desk again.”
    “Heah’s th’ kid—”
    Drew looked up at Webb’s hail. Boyd walked toward them, his saddlebags slung over one shoulder, under his arm the haversack for rations which normally hung from any forager’s saddle horn. He dropped them by the fire and held two gleaming objects out to Drew.
    “Anse’s spurs! How did you get them?”
    “Sold m’ horse to the sutler at the Yankee camp. Then bought ’em. That trooper gave ’em to me for just what he paid: five dollars hard money. Said as how he could understand why you wanted to have them—”
    “But your horse!”
    Boyd grinned. “Looky here, Drew, more’n half of this heah Reb army is footin’ it home. I guess I can cross two little states without it finishin’ me off—leastwise I reckon anyone who has toughened it out with General Forrest can do that much.”
    Drew turned the spurs around in hands which were a little shaky. “We got Croaker, and we’ll take turns ridin’. No, two states ain’t too far for a couple of troopers, specially if they have them a good stout mule into the bargain!”
    * * * *
    A hot copper sun turned late Kentucky May into August weeks ahead of season. Thunder muttered sullenly beyond the horizon. And a breeze picked up road dust and grit, plastering it to Croaker’s sweating hide, their own unwashed skin.
    “Better…ride.…” Licking dust from his lips, Drew watched the weaving figure on the other side of the mule with dull concern. They were steadying themselves by a tight grip on the stirrups, and Croaker was supporting and towing them, rather than their steering him.
    Boyd’s head lifted. “Ride yourself!” He got a ghost of his old defiance into that, though his voice was hardly more than a harsh croak of whisper. “I ain’t givin’ in now!”
    He leased his stirrup hold, staggering forward a step or two, and would have gone face-down on the turnpike if Drew had not made a big effort to reach him. But the other’s weight bore him along, and they both sprawled on the road. Croaker came to a halt, his head hanging until he could have nuzzled Drew’s shoulder.
    They had made a brave start from Alabama, keeping up with the company they joined until they were close to the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Then a blistered heel had forced Drew into the rider’s role for two days, and they had fallen behind. The rations they had drawn had been stretched as far as they would go. Even though there were people along the way willing to feed a hungry soldier, there were too many hungry soldiers. The farther north they traveled there was also a growing number of