to mark the two shores: the feathered
multitude and its yells and its fifty yards of rifles that fronted a
small spot of white men sitting easily in the saddle, and the clear,
pleasant water speeding between. Cheschapah and Two Whistles came
tauntingly towards this spot, and the mass of Crows on the other side
drew forward a little.

"You tell them," said Stirling to the chief of the Crow police, "that
they must go back."

Cheschapah came nearer, by way of obedience.

"Take them over, then," the officer ordered.

[Illustration: "HIS HORSE DREW CLOSE, SHOVING THE HORSE OF THE
MEDICINE-MAN"]

The chief of Crow police rode to Cheschapah, speaking and pointing.
His horse drew close, shoving the horse of the medicine-man, who now
launched an insult that with Indians calls for blood. He struck the
man's horse with his whip, and at that a volume of yells chorussed
from the other bank.

"Looks like the court of inquiry," remarked Stirling. "Don't shoot,
boys," he commanded aloud.

The amazed Sioux policeman gasped. "You not shoot?" he said. "But he hit
that man's horse--all the same hit your horse, all the same hit you."

"Right. Quite right," growled Stirling. "All the same hit Uncle Sam. But
we soldier devils have orders to temporize." His eye rested hard and
serious on the party in the water as he went on speaking with jocular
unconcern. "Tem-po-rize, Johnny," said he. "You savvy temporize?"

"Ump! Me no savvy."

"Bully for you, Johnny. Too many syllables. Well, now! he's hit that
horse again. One more for the court of inquiry. Steady, men! There's Two
Whistles switching now. They ought to call that lad Young Dog Tray. And
there's a chap in paint fooling with his gun. If any more do that--it's
very catching--Yes, we're going to have a circus. Attention! Now what's
that, do you suppose?"

An apparition, an old chief, came suddenly on the other bank, pushing
through the crowd, grizzled and little and lean, among the smooth,
full-limbed young blood. They turned and saw him, and slunk from the
tones of his voice and the light in his ancient eye. They swerved and
melted among the cottonwoods, so that the ford's edge grew bare of
dusky bodies and looked sandy and green again. Cheschapah saw the
wrinkled figure coming, and his face sank tame. He stood uncertain in
the stream, seeing his banded companions gone and the few white soldiers
firm on the bank. The old chief rode to him through the water, his face
brightene