der. When he came out he found that a third man
had joined the party and was talking eagerly with Phillips.

Ralph recognized the man as an old trapper who spent most of his time in
the hills or farther up in the neighborhood of Laramie Peak. He had
often been at the fort to sell peltries or buy provisions, and was a
mountaineer and plainsman who knew every nook and cranny in Wyoming.

Cropping the scant herbage on the flat behind the trapper was a lank,
long-limbed horse from which he had just dismounted, and which looked
travel-stained and weary like his master. The news the man brought was
worthy of consideration, and Ralph listened with rapt attention and with
a heart that beat hard and quick, though he said no word and gave no
sign.

"Then you haven't seen or heard a thing?" asked the new-comer. "It's
mighty strange. I've scoured these hills--man and boy--nigh onto thirty
years and ought to know Indian smokes when I see 'em. I don't think I
can be mistaken about this. I was way up the range about four o'clock
this afternoon and could see clear across towards Rawhide Butte, and
three smokes went up over there, sure. What startled me," the trapper
continued, "was the answer. Not ten miles above where I was there went
up a signal smoke from the foot-hills of the range,--just in here to the
northwest of us, perhaps twenty miles west of Eagle's Nest. It's the
first time I've seen Indian smokes in there since the month they killed
Lieutenant Robinson up by the peak. You bet I came down. _Sure_ they
haven't seen anything at Laramie?"

"Nothing. They sent Captain McCrea with his troop up towards Rawhide
just after dark, but they declare nothing has been seen or heard of
Indians this side of the Platte. I've been talking with Laramie most of
the evening. The Black Hills stage coming down reported trail of a big
war party out, going west just this side of the Butte, and some of them
may have sent up the smokes you saw in that direction. I was saying to
Ralph, here, that if that trail was forty-eight hours old, they would
have had time to cross the Platte at Bull Bend, and be down here
to-night."

"They wouldn't come here first. They know this ranch too well. They'd go
in to Eagle's Nest to try and get the stage horses and a scalp or two
there. You're too strong for 'em here."

"Ay; but there's Farron and his little kid up there four miles above
us."

"You don't tell me! Thought he'd taken her down to Denver."

"So