TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIES. 35 



ever remember with gratification the buffalo marrow-bones 

 and the bread which Mr. Nickelson had prepared for us. 

 Our time was precious, but we ate heartily. 



Presently Tom drew me aside and said he had some- 

 thing to show me. We went behind the wagon where he 

 pointed out to me the bullet holes made in the attack of the 

 day before. He said that the Indians had been signalling in 

 the early part of the night, and that his wife maintained that 

 they had been reinforced since dark. From the manner they 

 had made the attack yesterday on the knoll across the creek, 

 he said he had learned there was only one break where they 

 could get down ; that we would command that place and at 

 the same time protect the camp. It was fast growing gray 

 and we knew that very soon we would be the probable sub- 

 jects of attack. Every sign of our horses and of every per- 

 son was securely hidden, in order to give the impression that 

 we were unprepared. We "cached" twenty of our men op- 

 posite the mouth of the break to await results. The remain- 

 ing men were stationed to protect the camp and horses. 



The chirps of the early songsters were now heard, and 

 the eastern horizon began to illuminate the plains stretching 

 toward Centennial Prairie and Red Canyon. All of us were 

 impatient ; some were murmuring about the wet grass ; oth- 

 ers decided that no attack could be made. The time wore on 

 and the great calm which precedes a storm enveloped us. Not 

 a leaf stirred. The wolves had skulked away with the coming 

 of day. At last I thought I could hear the rumbling of foot- 

 steps. Soon there was no doubt about the sound, which 

 came nearer, clearer than before. "Let every man be ready 

 and do not fire until you see the color of their eyes," said 

 Nickelson. 



Just at this moment a yell broke on the air and the 

 brow of the hill was covered with warriors, each one striving 



