The latter suddenly straightened in the saddle, saluted again and rasped out:
“Lieutenant-Colonel James Brinton of General Taylor’s personal staff. Present in reply to General Scott’s request that General Taylor send a representative to this celebration.”
Real pleasure effaced the annoyance in Scott’s face. Even as no Roman triumph was complete without the presence of humbled rivals, so his day of glory was immeasurably sweetened by the fact that the general whose prowess had all but overshadowed his own was, by proxy at least, a witness to the scene.
Scott beamed with lofty graciousness on Lieutenant-Colonel James Brinton. He would vastly have preferred that his rival’s delegate should have looked more like a military tailor’s dummy, on this day of days, and less like a dust-sprinkled scarecrow.
But Scott had sent somewhat belated word--an afterthought--to Taylor.
The distance was long. He had scarce expected that any representative of the other would be able to reach the spot on time. Even more likely his rival would plead lack of time as excuse for failure to comply.
The evidences of haste and hard riding on Brinton’s part were, perhaps, in their way as high a tribute to the occasion as could well have been paid by more gaudy costume. Wherefore, the smile of lofty welcome.
“I thank General Taylor for his courtesy,” said the commanding general, “and I commend his representative’s speed. Leave your horse with an orderly, Colonel Brinton. I have had a seat reserved for you here.”
Scott turned again toward the Mexican official who, shuffling and fidgeting, was trying to find some new position wherefrom to launch his many-sealed address.
But before the general could request the reader to proceed Brinton interposed.
With ponderous gravity he maneuvered his horse so that the tired brute’s flank well-nigh collided with the Mexican. Thus, having sent the official scuttling out of the exact center of the space before the platform, Brinton reined his mount into the hurriedly vacated spot.
General Scott scowled. One of the broadcloth-clad civilians snickered.
The staff stared open-eyed. This solemn equestrian with the bloodshot eyes and drawn face was behaving with strange lack of military decorum in the presence of his chief.