to reload our guns and
pistols, and prepare for the next charge of the enemy. During the brief
cessation of hostilities, Simpson extracted the arrow from Wood's
shoulder, and put an immense quid of tobacco on the wound. Wood was then
ready for business again.

[Illustration: HOLDING THE FORT.]

The Indians did not give us a very long rest, for with, another desperate
charge, as if to ride over us, they came dashing towards the mule
barricade. We gave them a hot reception from our yagers and revolvers.
They could not stand, or understand, the rapidly repeating fire of the
revolvers, and we again checked them. They circled around us once more
and gave us a few parting shots as they rode off, leaving behind them
another dead Indian and a horse.

For two hours afterwards they did not seem to be doing anything but
holding a council. We made good use of this time by digging up the ground
inside the barricade with our knives and throwing the loose earth around
and over the mules, and we soon had a very respectable fortification. We
were not troubled any more that day, but during the night the cunning
rascals tried to burn us out by setting fire to the prairie. The buffalo
grass was so short that the fire did not trouble us much, but the smoke
concealed the Indians from our view, and they thought that they could
approach close to us without being seen. We were aware of this, and kept
a sharp look-out, being prepared all the time to receive them. They
finally abandoned the idea of surprising us.

Next morning, bright and early, they gave us one more grand charge, and
again we "stood them off." They then rode away half a mile or so, and
formed a circle around us. Each man dismounted and sat down, as if to
wait and starve us out. They had evidently seen the advance train pass on
the morning of the previous day, and believed that we belonged to that
outfit and were trying to overtake it; they had no idea that another
train was on its way after us.

Our hopes of escape from this unpleasant and perilous situation now
depended upon the arrival of the rear train, and when we saw that the
Indians were going to besiege us instead of renewing their attacks, we
felt rather confident of receiving timely assistance. We had expected
that the train would be along late in the afternoon of the previous day,
and as the morning wore away we were somewhat anxious and uneasy, at its
non-arrival.

At last, about ten o'clock, we began to hear i