"
Brant held out his hand. "I'll certainly do all in my power, Hampton,
to bring this out right. You can rely on that, and I will be faithful
to the little girl. Now, just a word to guide you regarding our
situation here. We have every reason for believing that the Sioux are
in considerable force in our front somewhere, and not far down this
stream. Nobody knows just how strong they are, but it looks to me as
if we were pretty badly split up for a very heavy engagement. Not that
I question Custer's plan, you understand, only he may be mistaken about
what the Indians will do. Benteen's battalion is out there to the
west; Reno is just ahead of us up the valley; while Custer has taken
five troops on a detour to the right across the bluffs, hoping to come
down on the rear of the Sioux. The idea is to crush them between the
three columns. No one of these detachments has more than two hundred
men, yet it may come out all right if they only succeed in striking
together. Still it 's risky in such rough country, not knowing exactly
where the enemy is. Well, good luck to you, and take care of yourself."
The two men clasped hands, their eyes filled with mutual confidence.
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