"Oh, pshaw! They say back at Zarah that there hasn't been an Injun seen from the trail in ten days. I fancy our escort scared the buffalo. Now like as not we won't get a shot."
"Just the same, it's queer the buffalo are all out yonder in the open instead of grazing on the river bottoms. If any Injuns are at hand, they'd be hiding along the river."
"Oh, pshaw!" laughed the captain. "We're safe enough. I'll get you back to Lizzie. Don't you worry yourself."
"Lizzie" was the lieutenant's bride, at Fort Riley. He had left her for the first time since they were married.
Drawn by its rapidly trotting mules the wagon trundled about three miles farther--and the captain had a glimpse of something new, moving over the low brush ahead and toward the river. It seemed to be a flock of wild turkeys bobbing along, now above the brush, now settling into it. N-no? What, then? Men on horses.
He whirled his team around and with voice and shake of lines quickened them to a gallop on the back trail for Zarah, six miles.
"Wait! Hold on, Hallowell. They may be part of the escort."
Lieutenant Hallowell was wiser. This was his second year in Indian country.
"No, no! I know Injuns when I see 'em. Gid-dap! Yip!"
So the captain clambered from the seat to the side step, and hanging hard to the front wagon-bow, took a good look.
"Indians, aren't they?" asked the lieutenant, braced to the lines.
That they were. The objects that had resembled turkeys were their feathered heads rising from a ravine. They were fully out now; had dropped their buffalo-robes, and all exposed in the open were tearing for the road.
"Oh, dear!" sighed young Lieutenant Hallowell, "I'll never see Lizzie again."
"Never mind Lizzie. Let's get ourselves out of here, first."
"All right, Cap," replied Lieutenant Hallowell, briskly. "You do the shooting and I'll do the driving."
He snatched the whip, slipped from his seat to the very front end of the box; and letting the lines lie lax began to lash and yell. The mules bolted free, twitching the wagon over the ruts.
Captain Booth sprawled inside; grabbed the lieutenant's one navy revolver, and with his own two tumbled over the seat and dived to the pucker-hole at the rear end, to fight the Indians off.