Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-02-28


hoofs on every side. They were close
on Machpealota's lurking braves.
Which would see the other first?
1t must have been somewhere toward
five o'clock in the afternoon that Dean,
searching with his fieldglass the sun
lit slopes far out to the east, heard the
voice of his sergeant close at hand and
turned to answer. Up to this moment,
beyond the pony tracks, not sign had
they seen of hostile Indians, but the
buffalo that had appeared in scattered
herds along their line of march were
shy and scary, and old hands said that
that meant they had recently been
hunted hard Moreover, this was not n
section favored of the buffalo. There
was much alkali and sage brush along
their trail, and only here and there in
scanty patches any of the rich, nutri-
tious bunch grass which the rowing ami
mails so eagerly sought The day had
been hot and almost cloudless. The
simmer of heat along the lazy roll of
the land to the south had often baf1ied
their blinking eyes. But now the sun
was well to the west, and the refraction
seemed diminishing, and away over to
the northeast dull-colored cloud
seemed slowly rising beyond the ridges.
1t was this that Sergt. Bruce was study
ing when he murmured to his young
commander:
IL think that means big herd on the
them"
One or two troopers, doing close at
hand, sprawled full length upon the
ground, with their faces buried in, or
hidden by their blue-sleeved arms,
slowly rolled over and came crouching
up alongside. Dean dropped his glasses
and peered in the direction indicated
by his comrade of humber rank Dust
cloud it was beyond doubt, and long
peep through the binocular proved that
it was slowly sailing across the horizon
in a northerly direction. Did that
mean that the red hunters were driy-
ing the great quarry toward the village
of the Sioux, or that the young men
were out in force, and with the full COM
plement of squaws and ponies were
slaughtering on the run? If the for
mer, then Dean and his party would be
wise to turn eastward and cross the
trail of the chase. If the latter they
would stand better chance of slipping
through to the Gap by pushing north
ward, deeper in among the pine-crested
heights.
Behind the watchers, well down in
the ravine, the horses were placidly
nibbling at the scant herbage, or lazily
sprawling in the sun, each animal Sc
curely hoppled, and all carefully guard
ed by the single trooper, whose own
mount, ready saddled, circled within
the limits of the stout lariat looped
about his masters wrist. All spoke of
caution, of lively sense of danger and
responsibility, for they of the little de-
tachment were picked men, who had
ridden the warpath too long not to real
iZe that there was no such thing as
trusting to luck in the heart of the In
dian country, especially when Mach
pealota with his Ogallalla braves was
out for business. The cautious move
ments of the group along the bank had
quickly been noted by the wakeful ones
among the troopers, and presently the
entire party, excepting only the herd
| guard, had crouched up alongside, and
with the comradeship born of such
perilous service, were now discussing
the situation in low, confidential tones.
For half an hour they lay there,
studying the signs to the northeast.
The dun-colored cloud hung low over
the earth for a distance of several
miles. The herd was evidently one of
unusual size even for those days when
the buffalo swarmed in countless thou
sands, and finally the sergeant spoke
again.
Its big hunt, lieutenant. What
ever may be going on about the Gap
they've found time to send out young
men enough to round up most of the
buffalo north of the Platte and drive
them in toward the mountains. It's
combining pleasure with business.
They don't feel strong enough in num-
ber, perhaps, to make another attempt
on troops armed with breechloaders, so
while they're waiting until ther reen-
forcements come, or their own breech-
leaders, they are herding the buffalo
where they can get them when they
want them later on. We are in big luck
that no stragglers are anywhere around
us; if they were it wouldn't take such
fellows long to spy us out"
Dean swept the ridge line with his
glass. No sign of life nearer than that
far-away, betraying dust cloud. No
symptom of danger anywhere within
their ken. He was thinking at the mo-
ment of that precious package in his
saddle-bags and the coloners words i'm
pressing him with the sense of response
bility the night they parted at Fort
Emory. Tomorrow, by sunrise, if for
tune favored him, he could turn it over
to the commanding officer at the new
| stockade, and then if the Indians were
not gathered in force about the post
and actually hostile, he could slip out
| again al night and make swift dash for
| the Platte and the homeward way, and
then within the week rejoin his sister
at Fort Emory-his sister and pap
| poose." Never before had the Indian
til II