having saved the
life of Queen May. I heard, three or four years afterwards, as she
married the young officer who was in command of the horse-soldiers at
the next fort."

"But tell me," Frank said, "how did Dick manage to get her away from the
Indians?"

"That," Abe said, "he'd better tell you himself, seeing as concerning
that part of the business he knows more nor I do. Now, Dick, speak out."

"There ain't much to tell," Dick said gruffly, taking the pipe from his
mouth. "Directly as we got back to camp, and I found she had gone, it
seemed to me as I had got to follow her; and my eye lighting on the
loose horse, I soon managed to catch the critter, and, shifting my
saddle to it, I started. As you may guess, there war no difficulty in
following the trail. They had ridden all night, though they knew there
was no chance of their being pursued. But about fifty miles from the
fort I came upon their first halting-place; they had lit fires and
cooked food there, and had waited some hours.

"The ashes were still warm, and I guess they had left about four hours
afore I arrived; so I went on more carefully, knowing that if I threw
away my life there was no chance of recovering the gal. I guessed, by
the direction which they were taking, they were going to Black Dog's
village; and, after going a bit further on the trail to make sure, I
turned off, and went round some miles, in case they should have left any
one to see if they war followed. I knew where the village was, for I had
been hunting near it.

"I camped out on the plains for the night, and next day rode to within
five miles of the village, which was among the hills. I left my horse in
a wood where there was water, and, taking my rifle and pistols, went
forward on foot to the village and arrived there after dark. As I
expected, I found the hull place astir. A big fire was blazing in the
centre; on a pole near it hung the scalps they had taken, and they were
a-dancing round it and howling and yelling. I didn't see any signs of
the gal; but as there were two redskins with their rifles hanging about
the door of a wigwam next to that of the chief, I had no doubt she was
there.

"This wigwam was in the centre of the village, and there were lots of
old squaws and gals about, so that I could not, for the life of me, see
any way of stealing her out. Next night I went back to the camp and
watched, but the more I thought on it, the more difficult it seemed. The
second nigh