With Gun ftp Rod in Canada 



Chapter 2. 



The United States Army Ambulance came lumbering 

 up Nine Mile Canyon behind four straining mules. It 

 was heavily loaded, and carried, besides less valuable 

 freight, seventy-five thousand in gold and greenbacks. 

 It was the money for the Uintah Indians which was sent 

 semi-annually into Fort Duchesne from Price, a little 

 station on the Rio Grande Western Railroad, a distance 

 of ninety miles. With the ambulance there was an 

 escort of coloured cavalry or " Buffalo soldiers," number- 

 ing twenty-five men, twelve of them riding a few yards 

 in advance and the rest in the rear. The Lieutenant 

 in command sat on the seat with the driver, while his 

 horse was led by a mounted orderly. They drove 

 slowly along the road, which in places was hardly ^vide 

 enough for a single wagon, having an abyss on one side 

 and a tremendous rock slide on the other, that seemed 

 ready to slip and wipe out the narrow trail any minute. 

 As the ambulance came opposite one of these rock slides, 

 it halted to breathe the horses. 



Far up among the boulders, hidden from the trail, 

 were two masked men, intently watching the ambulance. 

 Near them, besides rifles and six-guns, was a switchboard, 

 batteries, a megaphone, and two electrically operated 

 phonographs. Half a dozen thin, green, insulated wires 

 ran from the switchboard and disappeared among the 

 rocks. The two men were talking in low voices. 



" When I shoot, you press the button, Mat," said the 

 shorter of the two. 



" All right," said Mat. 



*' They've stopped ! Let her go, partner !" 



Butch's 30-40 cracked, and down fell the near leader 

 on the Government wagon. It cracked again, and down 



190 



