back at us. Is this man goin' after them, sir?"

"Yes, he has despatches from Cheyenne."

"Well, he ought ter have no trouble findin' the trail. It ought ter be
'bout as plain as a road back in God's country, sir, fer there were
more than two hundred horses, and they'd leave a good mark even on hard
ground."

Brant held out his hand. "I'll certainly do all in my power, Hampton,
to bring this out right. You can rely on that, and I will be faithful
to the little girl. Now, just a word to guide you regarding our
situation here. We have every reason for believing that the Sioux are
in considerable force in our front somewhere, and not far down this
stream. Nobody knows just how strong they are, but it looks to me as
if we were pretty badly split up for a very heavy engagement. Not that
I question Custer's plan, you understand, only he may be mistaken about
what the Indians will do. Benteen's battalion is out there to the
west; Reno is just ahead of us up the valley; while Custer has taken
five troops on a detour to the right across the bluffs, hoping to come
down on the rear of the Sioux. The idea is to crush them between the
three columns. No one of these detachments has more than two hundred
men, yet it may come out all right if they only succeed in striking
together. Still it 's risky in such rough country, not knowing exactly
where the enemy is. Well, good luck to you, and take care of yourself."

The two men clasped hands, their eyes filled with mutual confidence.
Then Hampton touched spurs to his horse, and galloped swiftly forward.

CHAPTER VII

THE FIGHT IN THE VALLEY

Far below, in the heart of the sunny depression bordering the left bank
of the Little Big Horn, the stalwart troopers under Reno's command
gazed up the steep bluff to wave farewell to their comrades
disappearing to the right. Last of all, Custer halted his horse an
instant, silhouetted against the blue sky, and swung his hat before
spurring out of sight.

The plan of battle was most simple and direct. It involved a nearly
simultaneous attack upon the vast Indian village from below and above,
success depending altogether upon the prompt cooeperation of the
separate detachments. This was understood by every trooper in the
ranks. Scarcely had Custer's slender column of horsemen vanished
across the summit before Reno's command advanced, trotting down the
valley, the Arikara scouts in the lead. They had been chosen to stri