lled by
the hostiles, for he heard many guns fired about the middle of the
afternoon. These white men will never give you any credit for your
wonderful ride, nor will they compensate you for the risks you have
taken in their service. They will not give you so much as one eagle
feather for what you have done!'

"The next day I was sent for to go to headquarters, and there I related
my all-day pursuit by the hostile Sioux. The commanding officer advised
me to remain at the fort fifteen days before making the return trip,
thinking that by that time my enemies might cease to look for me.

"At the end of the fortnight he wrote his letters, and I told him that
I was ready to start. 'I will give you,' he said, 'twenty Rees and Gros
Ventres to escort you past the hostile camp.' We set out very early and
rode all day, so that night overtook us just before we reached the camp.

"At nightfall we sent two scouts ahead, but before they left us they
took the oath of the pipe in token of their loyalty. You all know the
ancient war custom. A lighted pipe was held toward them and each one
solemnly touched it, after which it was passed as usual.

"We followed more slowly, and at about midnight we came to the place
where our scouts had agreed to meet us. They were to return from a
reconnaissance of the camp and report on what they had seen. It was a
lonely spot, and the night was very cold and still. We sat there in the
snowy woods near a little creek and smoked in silence while we waited.
I had plenty of time to reflect upon my position. These Gros Ventres
and Rees have been our enemies for generations. I was one man to twenty!
They had their orders from the commander of the fort, and that was my
only safeguard.

"Soon we heard the howl of a wolf a little to the westward. Immediately
one of the party answered in the same manner. I could not have told
it from the howl of a real wolf. Then we heard a hooting owl down the
creek. Another of our party hooted like an owl.

"Presently the wolf's voice sounded nearer, while the owl's hoot came
nearer in the opposite direction. Then we heard the footsteps of ponies
on the crisp, frosty air. The scout who had been imitating the wolf came
in first, and the owl soon followed. The warriors made a ring and again
filled the pipe, and the scouts took the oath for the second time.

"After smoking, they reported a trail going up a stream tributary to the
Missouri, but whether going out or coming in