The Princeton union., 1900-09-27

stretched at length, taking II easy.
an attendant jogging alongside. Be-
hind them came third, big quar-
termaster's wagon, drawn by six mules
and loaded with tentage and rations.
Out some 800 yards to the right and
left rode little squads as fankers.
Out beyond them, further still. often
cut off from view by low waves of
prairie. we're individual troopers, rid
ing as lookouts. while far to the front,
full 600 yards, three or four others,
spreading over the front on each side
of the twisting trail, moved rapidly
from crest to crest, always carefully
scanning the country ahead before rid
ing up to the summit. And now. as
Deans eyes turned from his charges
to look along the sky line to the east,
he saw sudden sign of excitement and
commotion at the front A sergeant,
riding with two troopers midway be-
tween him and those foremost scouts.
was eagerly signaling to him with his
broad-brimmed hat. Three of the
black dots along the gently rising
slope far ahead had leaped from their
mounts and were slowly crawling for
ward, while one of them, his horse
turned adrift and contentedly nib
bling at the buffalo grass. was surely
signaling that there was mischief
ahead.
| In an instant the lieutenant was
galloping out to the front, cautioning
the driver to come on slowly. Pres
emily he overhauled the sergeant and
bade him follow, and together the
four men darted up on the gradual in
cline until within ten yards OF where
the leaders horses were placidly graz
ing. There they threw themselves
from saddle; one of the men took the
reins of the four horses, while Dean
and the other two, unslinging carbine
and crouching low, went hurredly on
up the slope until they came within a
few yards of the nearest scout.
"lndians!" he called to them, as
soon as they were within earshot.
But they don't seem to be on lookout
for US at all. They're fooling with
some buffalo over here"
Crawling to the crest, leaving his
hat behind, Dean peered over into the
swale beyond, and this was what he
saw:
Half mile away to the east the
low, concave sweep of the prairie was
cut by the jagged banks and curves
of a watercourse which drained the
melting SHOWS in earlier spring. Along
the further bank a dozen buffalo were
placidly grazing, unconscious of the
fact that in the shallow, dry ravine
itself half a dozen young Indians
Sioux. apparently - we're lurking,
awaiting the nearer coming of the
herd, whose leaders, at least, were
gradually approaching the edge
Away down to the northeast, toward
the distant Powder river, the shallow
stream bed trended, and, following
the pointing finger of the scout who
crawled to his side, Dean gazed and
saw confused mass of slowly moving
objects, betrayed for miles by the
light cloud of dust that hovered over
them, covering many an acre of the
prairie, stretching away down the
vale. Even before he could unsling
his field glass and gaze, his plainscraft
told him what was slowly, steadily
approaching, as though to cross his
front-an Indian village, big one,
on the move to the mountains. bound
perhaps for the famous race course of
the Sioux, grand amphitheater in
the southern hills.
And even as they gazed, two tiny
jets of fame and smoke shot from the
ravine edge there below them. and be-
fore the dull reports could reach their
ears the foremost bison dropped on his
knees and then rolled over on the sod;
and then came the order, at sound of
which, back among the halted troop
ers, every carbine leaped from its
socket.
CHAPTER TIT