Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-05-05
CHAPTER XIV

Lew nodded, turned and swept
circling gaze around the fiat land.
But this one party was all. And
then a grunt from the old man
jerked his eyes around. He half
rose in his stirrups, held there sud-
denly rigid by the horrible beauty
of that charge.
1t came like tossing wave with
every horse thrown forward in the
same instant. The Cheyennes rode
fiat, their black heads hardly above
their animals names. A drum
ming on the earth ran ahead of
them, nothing more. They didn't
yell, and it was that unexpected
deadly silence that made his blood
run cold.
Even with Quarternight's calm
voice warning him, ''Take it easy"
he dropped in his saddle and swung
up the long barrel of his gun. He
knew what Quarternight was count
ing on. This was the moment of the
Indians greatest advantage. Why
they must strike with this fierce
strength, then always stop and
boast before they fought, he didn't
know. But this one time maybe
they wouldn't. The wave was
sweeping on within three hundred
yards. He lined his rifle sights,
and then his eyes caught no signal.
Every man was suddenly upright,
with the horses thrown back on
their headquarters, rearing and
plunging to a halt. Their arms
flew up. Rifles that had been hid
den beneath the naked bodies CLINT
ed in the sun.
They sat in an unbrokcn line, mo-
tionless, until one rider started out
at walk from the others. Off two
hundred yards he stopped and
crooked his arm and shouted some
thing. He had only a strip of blan-
ket cloth around his waist and be-
tween his legs.
Lew yelled across to him, "No
savvy!" The Cheyenne yelled back
something that sounded bad. He
wasn't Crazy Bear
Quarternight raised his rifle.
Boy" he said, first ticks half
the battle. Might as we'll show him
what we've got" He squeezed the
trigger once. The horse wheeled
and stumbled, boiling back into the
line. The old mans whiskers part
ed in wicked grin. "There now.
Watch out, they'll make a run!'
They were yelling now, high and
gobbling like a flock of turkeys.
Suddenly their horses pivoted
and they were lying fiat again, rae
ing in a circle around his herd.
He slapped his buckskin with his
heels, riding with both hands free.
The men strung out from him need
ed no order; there were old Indian
fighters in this crew. Swinging off
from the cattle, they rode their
own smaller circle abreast of the
Cheyennes' running line. But he
had to yell at young Jim Hope to
make him stay with the horse herd
He saw Clay start from joys wag-
on, turn and go back.
Little black puffs of smoke be-
gan to rise and drift above the In
dams, wild shooting, at too long
range for their old-fashioncd guns.
He kept an eye on Quarternight
just ahead.
They were half around the herd
when the old man threw up his
arm. Hold in, boys! Here they
comet" He let out his rebel yell.
Lew swung his buckskin with his
knee and halted, facing out. Some
instinct out of Quarternight's
Apache days had let him time the
of oh
ennes had pivoted again. They
came on in a solid running front.
The blast of Springfeld-Allins was
like the rattle of beans in a gourd.
Beyond his own sights he saw
gap break wide open. 1t was a
whitening fire. Horses went down.
He saw the way the Cheyennes
plunged with them, unable to kick
free of the rawhide loops that held
their legs. He felt cool and little
sick.
The charge broke and scattered.
He called, "Thats enough" and
admired the stolid courage that
brought some of the red men back
to pick up the wounded. Then off
at distance out of range the rag
ged line continued its circle But
that blast had taught them some
thing. At three quarters around
the herd they pulled in and punched
up close together. He could see
their arms making signs and hear
the gobble-talk.
He fed handful of shells into
the side of his rifle and said to
Quarternight, "That'll make 'em
powwow some. All we need is
time"
1t was past noon. Any moment
ought to bring Joe Wheat and the
cavalry up over the edge of the
plain. With his gun filed he took
long look off southeast beyond the
punched Cheyennes and thought