ot tired of waitin', I guess."

"Don't blame me, Kiddie; I didn't think you really wanted me ter stop
thar. An' when the fightin' was at its worst, I got anxious about you;
figured as you might be badly wounded an' needin' help, or--or even
that you might be killed. So I came along ter search for you, see?"

"Yes, Rube, I see," nodded Kiddie. "And instead of you finding me, it
was I who found you, eh? Well, I'm real sorry to disappoint you, but
it can't be helped."

"No; but it's allus the same," Rube regretted. "It's allus you that
helps me. How many times have you saved my life since we come out on
this yer trip? I never get half a chance to save yours. Never!"

"Keep your face still, can't you?" ordered Kiddie. "How d'you expect
me ter fix up this cut on your cheek if you keep on waggin' your jaw?"

He was not long over the operation of getting a pad of lint on the
wound and binding a rough bandage round Rube's head. Then he stood up.

"Now let me give you a leg up on to my pony," he said.

"What about yourself?" objected Rube. "Ain't yer goin' to do any more
fightin'? The battle ain't finished yet."

"Fightin'?" repeated Kiddie. "Oh, no; not now. I'm going to take you
back to the rear. Besides, it wouldn't be at all gentlemanly if I were
to continue fightin' after having told Broken Feather that he must put
an end to it all."

He stopped and lifted Rube bodily from the ground, planting him
securely astride the piebald pony, which he led away across ground that
was thickly strewn with dead and wounded Indians and horses. Rube's
injured hip was exceedingly painful; every movement of the pony gave
him a new twinge; but he bore the pain stoically, not wishing to let
Kiddie know how much he was hurt.

Near the fording place they came to a halt. Rube was left lying on a
blanket while Kiddie, re-mounting the piebald, rode back to the
battlefield to put a stop to all scalping and mutilating and looting,
to attend to the wounded, and to draw off the Crows as Broken Feather
had drawn off the Sioux.

Amongst the dead and wounded Crows he discovered Simon Sprott kneeling
at the side of the chief Falling Water, whose body had been pierced by
a dozen arrows.

"Poor old Falling Water's done in, Little Cayuse," Simon announced.
"He's gone right away to the Happy Hunting Grounds. But I guess he'd a
big thought for you just before he started on the Long Trail. Asked me
to thank you for leading the Cro