the
white men from Laramie.

The Indian looked grave at this. "Is that so?" he asked, calmly. "I had
not any word from my young men about a war party coming down the river.
Many white tepees on wheels going up the river; no soldiers coming down
this way."

"We are going on up to meet our soldiers," said Auberry, sternly. "The
Sioux have killed some of our men below here. We shall meet our soldiers
and come and wipe the Sioux off the land if they come into the valley
where our great road runs west."

"That is good," said the Sioux. "As for us, we harm no white man. We
hunt where we please. White men go!"

Auberry now turned to us. "I don't think they mean trouble, Lieutenant,"
he said, "and I think the best thing we can do is to let them alone and
go on up the valley. Let's go on and pull on straight by them, the way
they did us, and call it a draw all around."

Belknap nodded, and Auberry turned again to the four Sioux, who stood
tall and motionless, looking at us with the same fixed, glittering eyes.
I shall remember the actors in that little scene so long as I live.

"We have spoken," said Auberry. "That is all we have to say."

Both parties turned and went back to their companions. Belknap, Auberry
and I had nearly reached our waiting troopers, when we missed Orme, and
turned back to see where he was. He was standing close to the four
chiefs, who had by this time reached their horses. Orme was leading by
the bridle his own horse, which was slightly lame from a strain received
in the hunt.

"Some buck'll slip an arrer into him, if he don't look out," said
Auberry. "He's got no business out there."

We saw Orme making some sort of gestures, pointing to his horse and the
others.

"Wonder if he wants to trade horses!" mused Auberry, chuckling. Then in
the same breath he called, "Look out! By God! Look!"

We all saw it. Orme's arm shot out straight, tipped by a blue puff of
smoke, and we heard the crack of the dragoon pistol. One of the Sioux,
the chief who by this time had mounted his horse, threw his hand against
his chest and leaned slightly back, then straightened up slightly as he
sat. As he fell, or before he fell, Orme pushed his body clear from the
saddle, and with a leap was in the dead man's place and riding swiftly
toward us, leading his own horse by the rein!

It seemed that it was the Sioux who had kept faith after all; for none
of the remaining three could find a weapon. Orme rode up laughing