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"Round them up, every man here If they’re ours, confine them to barracks If they’re not, put them outside the walls and instruct the sentries that none of them are to reenter for three days Sons to follow their fathers"

I knew he had the right Soldiers’ sons would one day be soldiers As he commanded their fathers, so could he order their sons in times of need

"He struck an officer" My father spoke quietly He was not looking at the commander or the scout orHe said the words aloud, but there was no indication he was intending them for the commander

The commander responded anyway "You there!" He pointed at Vev "You are to pack up yourself and your whelps and take them all out of my jurisdiction Because I am a merciful man and the result of your actions will fall on your wife and daughters as well, I will allow you tiather what goods you rightfully own before you depart But by nightfall tomorroant you on your way!"

The crowd muttered, displeased It was a severe punishment There was no other settlement for several days’ journey It was effectively an exile to the arid Plains I doubted the faht a severe hardship down on himself and his family One of his friends calared at the scout and at the co Raven, but they did as they were told The ranks of uniformed soldiers had fanned out to be sure it was so The crowd began to disperse

The scout was standing silently, his arreenish frout I did not know if he sheltered his daughter or leaned on her She was crying, not quietly, but in great sobs and gulps I didn’t blame her If someone had hit my father like that, I’d have wept, too He spoke low, co home now, Sil"

"Halloran" The commander’s voice was severe

"Sir?"

"Don’t bring her to ain That’s an order"

"As if I would" Insubordination simmered in his voice Belatedly, he lowered his eyes and voice "Sir" It was at that moment that I suddenly kne much the scout now hated his conored it, I wondered if he feared the half-wild soldier

Nothing more was said that I heard I think all sound and motion stopped for me as I stood in the street and tried to make sense of what I had seen that day Aroundthe with curses and shoves My father stood silently by the cohter to their horses She had stopped crying Her face was smooth and emotionless now, and if they spoke to one another, I did not hear it He ether they rode sloay I watched the time When I looked back to my father, I realized that he and the co in the alley mouth

"Co pup, and obediently I came to his side When I stood there, he looked down athis hand on my shoulder, asked, "How did you coine I could lie to him about it I told him all, from the time Parth had shooed me into the street until the moment he had come on the scene The commander listened as quietly as my father did When I repeated the threat that he’d never even find lanced at the post coh, my father shook his head

I felt alar, Father?"

The commander answered before my father could But he spoke to ht the trouble to tohen he brought his half-breed daughter here, Keft Don’t trouble your boy’s head over it If I’d known that Vev was such an insubordinate rascal, I’d never have let him or his family on my post I’m only sorry your lad had to see and hear what he did"

"As areed tersely He did not sound mollified

The commander spoke on, hastily "At the end of the month, I’ll send a man with the forms to fill out for the military requisition of the sheepskins You’ll not have any competition for the bid And when I deal with you, I’ll know I’ with an honest man Your son’s honesty speaks for that" The coard My father seeive it