the river now, and talking.
Now he is getting on his horse; there are ten or twelve of them. One
fellow is pointing across here, but no one agrees with him. Now Roman
Nose is giving orders. Hear that yell! They 're off now, riding up
stream, lashing their ponies into a run. All of them? No; quite a
bunch are going back to the coach. I don't believe they are going to
hang around here long though, for they are driving in all their ponies."

[Illustration: "No, don't move! The stage has been gutted and set on
fire."]

"But won't those others come back when they discover we have not gone
up the river?"

"I wish I could answer that," he replied earnestly. "But it all
depends on what those devils know of the whereabouts of troops. They
are Northern Indians, and must have broken through the scouting details
sent out from Wallace and Dodge. Some of the boys are bound to be
after them, and there is more chance for them to get back safely along
the mountains than in the other direction. I don't suppose an Indian
in the bunch was ever south of the Arkansas. Wait! Those fellows are
going to move now; going for good, too--they are taking the dead
Indians with them."

They were little more than black dots at that distance, yet the sun was
up by this time and his keen vision could distinguish every movement.

"Creep up here, and you can see also," he said quietly. "They are far
enough away now so that it is safe."

There was a moment of breathless quiet, the two fugitives peering
cautiously over the sand ridge. To the girl it was a confusion of
figures rushing back and forth about the smoking ruins of the stage;
occasionally a faint yell echoed across the river, and she could
distinguish a savage on his pony gesticulating as he rode back and
forth. But the Sergeant comprehended the scene. His eyes met hers and
read her bewilderment.

"They are going all right, and in a hurry. It's plain enough they are
afraid to stay there any longer. See, they are lashing bodies on to
the ponies. Ah, that is what I wanted to be sure about--that fellow is
heading west on the trail; now the others are moving."

"Then you are sure Roman Nose will not return? That--that we are safe?"

"Yes; I would n't hesitate to go back as soon as the last of them
disappear over the ridge," pointing up the river. "They knew they had
to go that way; Roman Nose and his band hoped we 'd taken that
direction, and hurried on ahead to catch