d and drove his
prisoners on a few paces in front of him. If he could get them into
the open, he thought he would be safe, but the reservation was, for the
most part, a tract of brush and bluff, pierced by ravines, among which
he half expected an attempt would be made to facilitate their escape.
For all that, he was, so far as appearances went, very calm and grim
when he set out, and his prisoners, being ahead, did not notice that he
searched each taller patch of brush they entered with apprehensive
glances. Nor did they see his hand drop to his pistol-butt when
something moved in the bushes as they went down the side of a dark
declivity.

There was, however, no interference, and he felt more confident when he
rode out into the moonlight which flooded the glittering prairie. Here
he could deal with any unfavorable developments; but it was several
leagues to the nearest shelter, and the Indians did not seem inclined
to travel fast. The half-frozen constable would gladly have walked,
only that he felt more master of the situation upon his horse. Mile
after mile, they crossed the vast white waste, without a word being
spoken, except when the shivering man sternly bade his prisoners, "Get
on!"

Hand-cuffed as they were, he dare not relax his vigilance nor let them
fall back too near him; and he had spent the previous night in the
bitter frost. At times he felt painfully drowsy, but he had learned to
overcome most bodily weaknesses, and his eyes only left the dark,
plodding figures in front of him when he swept a searching glance
across the plain. Nothing moved on it, and only the soft crunch of
snow broke the dreary silence. At last, a cluster of low buildings
rose out of the waste, and soon afterward Flett got down with
difficulty and demanded shelter. The rudely awakened farmer gave him
the use of his kitchen, in which a stove was burning; and while the
Indians went to sleep on the floor, Flett, choosing an uncomfortable
upright chair, lighted his pipe and sat down to keep another vigil.
When dawn broke, his eyes were still open, though his face was a little
haggard and very weary.

He obtained a conviction for assault; but, as the charges of
cattle-killing and being in possession of liquor had to be dropped,
this was small consolation. It left the men he considered responsible
absolutely untouched.

Afterward, he played a part in other somewhat similar affairs, for
offenses were rapidly becoming more nume