Year: 1878

came 70 a dead halt.


"ListenI" he whispered TO the circle
around him, and each ear was strained
to catch the slightest sound. In the
eourse of sixty seconds each man plain
" made out for himself that a deLach'
nent Of Indians were passing them not
/ over three hundred yards away. Dan
had been warned not a second too soon,
But for the swerve to the left there
would have been a collision and butch
cry. For three or four minutes the lit
tie band sat like statues, and it was a
happy relief when the dwarf whispered;


"FOllow each other at a walkl"


Seven midnight shadows crept slowly
over the flower sprinkled grass for a
long half hour. The horses were be-
coming nervous and impatient, when
all of a sudden a halt was made. Lit
tie Dams mustang stood looking toward
Fort McKavette, and lie was riderless.
/ The others halted beside him. and after
a minute the dwarf reappeared.


"Over the ridge here in front of us is
an Injun campI" he whispered, 'or a
band of IDjuns are breaking campl In
/ juns are moving all along our front, and
1 a wolf couldn't sneak throughI We
must hide till they pass-fOllOw me
softly"


He turned to the left again, followed
the base of the ridge for a mile, and the
party entered a dry ravine with banks
from five TO eight feet high. The bed
might have been wet in the spring, but
was dry then, and quite free from OBJ
I fstructiOns. As soon as shelter was OBJ
tanned, Little Dan again disappeared.
He was gone some five minutes this
time, and when he returned he said:


''There's millions Of 'eml There's
been a big camp in this neighbOrhOOd
for three or four days, and the warriors
are now moving for the fort, leaving
lpaps and squaws behind. Keep quiet
until we can get Cutl"


Atthe end of five minutes the Indians
were heard advancing, and presently
their conversation could plainly be
made out. All were mounted but
seemed in no hurry. Some rode around
the head of the ravine, and others were
heard crossing it lower down. Hud-
died together in the darkness were the
seven white men, each one holding his
breath, and each horse trembling with
excitement.


"WeIl be discovered sooner or later"
whispered Dan, land we'd better get in
the first blowl Draw your revOlvers,
ride three abreast, and I'll leadI"


He waited a minute for the men to
make ready, and then raised the widest
yell ever heard by Indian or white man.
Its ferceness fairly appalled, his COM
panions for an instant, but as his mus
tang sprang forward they spurred after.
Charging straight down the ravine, with
that wild scream echOing from bank to
bank, they had gone nearly half a mile
before the surprised Indians cOmpre-
hended the situation and made pursuit.
The ravine bent and turned for miles,
and while some of the Indians followed
down it, others rode along the banks,
firing at random and screaming intheir
rage.


"a mile further down." called Little
Dan, as he turned in his saddle, "a trail
crosses the ditch. Wen turn to the
right, and make for the Injun village.
If you shoot straight, Wen give these
devils a chance to attend a dozen fune-
rails at home"


Not shot had thus far been fired by
the party. Two or three mounted In
dians had been encountered, sitting on
their saddles, and wondering over the
alarm, but they had beeu Knocked down
and leaped over like so many toys. The
little band were a quarter of mile
ahead Of pursuit as they whirled to the
right. dashed up the bank, and made
for the hundred camp fires q mile
away.


''Six abreast, now, follow me!' shout
ed the dwarf. Il want TO charge right
through the center OF the village, and
III kill as many as allof you can woundI
Fire at everything on legs, and keer
yelling Ike deTilsl'


Had they kept on down the ravine, il
would simply have been a test Of speed
between horses, with odds in favor Of
the white men. Little Dan had dou
bled back on their track instead of run
ming away, and was headed of by a big
village alive with excitement. The In
dians kept along the ravine, not yet
having caught sight Of the pursued, but
still knowing that they were chasing
white men.


''NOw raise a Yell" shouted Dan, as
the band neared the village-"raise the
worst yell you can, and don't forget to
keep shOOtingI'


His peculiar scream was again sent
forth, and the other six riders hurrahed
at the top Of their voices. Dan and his
mustang were a wonderful sight. The
animal forged ahead at steady gait, his
ears laid back and his mouth wide open,
and he sweTved aside for nothing. He
jumped a blazing fire, ran directly over
a log, picked up boy in his teeth and
flung him aside, and every instant ut
tering a neigh which was almost a roar
Of rage.


a revolver in either hand. Little Dan
swung himself from side to side, blow
ing a warriors brains out on the right,
and then sending a bullet through the
head of an old man OF squaw 10 the
left. POpl pOpl pop! rang his revolver,
and above the awful din created in the
surprised and frightened camp could
be heard his wild yells and the tigerish
neigh of his mustang. The six fired as
they could, sweeping trail of death
forty feet wide through the village.
Hardly shot was fired in return, but
one Of the few sent after them struck
and mOTtally wounded a bronze-faced, |
griZzly-haired veteran who was three |
times hit at Antietam. He fell for
ward, CIung to his horse. and when the |