enemy to ride boldly up to his soldiers, count their numbers, inspect
their array, satisfy himself as to their armament and readiness, then
calculate the chances, and, if he thought the force too strong, ride on
his way with only a significant gesture in parting insult? If, on the
contrary, he found it weak then he could turn loose his braves,
surround, massacre and scalp, and swear before the commissioners sent
out to investigate next moon that he and his people knew nothing about
the matter--nothing, at least, that they could be induced to tell.

One moment more Dean watched and waited. Two of the Indians in the
ravine were busily reloading their rifles. Two others were aiming over
the bank, for, with the strange stupidity of their kind, the other
buffalo, even when startled by the shot, had never sought safety in
flight, but were now sniffing the odor of blood on the tainted air, and
slowly, wonderingly drawing near the stricken leader as though to ask
what ailed him. Obedient and docile, the Indian ponies stood with
drooping heads, hidden under the shelter of the steep banks. Nearer and
nearer came the big black animals, bulky, stupid, fatuous; the foremost
lowered a huge head to sniff at the blood oozing from the shoulder of
the dying bull, then two more shots puffed out from the ravine, the huge
head tossed suddenly in air, and the ungainly brute started and
staggered, whirled about and darted a few yards away, then plunged on
its knees, and the next moment, startled at some sight the soldier
watchers could not see, the black band was seized with sudden panic, and
darted like mad into the depths of the watercourse, disappeared one
moment from sight, then, suddenly reappearing, came laboring up the
hither side, straight for the crest on which they lay, a dozen black,
bounding, panting beasts thundering over the ground, followed by half a
dozen darting Indian ponies, each with his lithe red rider scurrying in
pursuit.

"Out of the way, men! Don't fire!" shouted Dean. And, scrambling back
toward their horses, the lieutenant and his men drew away from the front
of the charging herd, invisible as yet to the halted troop and to the
occupants of the ambulance, whose eager heads could be seen poked out at
the side doors of the leading vehicle, as though watching for the cause
of the sudden halt.

And then a thing happened that at least one man saw and fortunately
remembered later. Bryan, the trumpeter, with jabbing heel