ns of murdering their fellow-men.
All on a sudden his voice was heard:

"Back to your horses, men! Mount, sergeant, and follow. Come on,
Connell! That's why it takes four horses to lug it--that wagon is
loaded with lead!"

One minute more and from the lips of one wary Indian, well out on the
"bench," went up a shrill whoop of warning. Away up the the grassy
incline, from over the ridge and spurring straight for the wagon, now
at the head of the ravine, came two lithe young horsemen, riding like
the wind, the right hand of the foremost far uplifted in the signal
known the plains over--to halt. Behind these two came an orderly
trooper full gallop. Behind these three, presently, there popped into
view a score of slouch-hatted, blue-bloused, sturdy dragoons, and with
many a screech of wrath and disgust, away went the last of the Sioux,
scooting for the shelter of the creek bank beyond. Shoot they longed
to, yet dare not. The word had not yet gone forth. The medicine-men
still said nay. The time was not yet ripe. A few days more must they
suffer until Si Tanka and his braves were met, until, in overwhelming
force, they could turn on the scattered and helpless settlers. That was
easier warfare than fighting soldiers, and counted for just as much in
scalps and glory. Away they went to the cotton-wood bottom, and one
wellnigh exhausted, thoroughly demoralized white man collapsed on the
driver's seat, and four sweating, staggering horses pulled up, panting
and blowing, and the score of blue-coated riders came thundering on, to
rein up in triumph around a silent but obviously excited brace of
lieutenants, one of whom simply pointed into the depths of the wagon
body. From under a lot of dingy camp equipage peeped out three or four
little boxes the soldiery knew at sight. Sergeant Drum spurred
alongside and whisked off what was left of the cover, and a dirty
blanket or two, and there was a larger box, half filled with magazine
rifles. There were ten boxes of Winchester cartridges, one thousand to
the box. There was the secret of the "hunter's camp." They had been
selling arms to the Sioux.

"Good find, that, Geordie," grinned Connell, as his comrade sat
pencilling a brief despatch to the major, while three of the men, with
liberal sprinklings from their canteens and brisk fanning with their
hats, were striving to revive the collapsed wagoner.

"I need his story," said our plains-wise Pops. "Pull him to, if
possible," and then