In Cowboy Land 275 



ceeding in making his escape by dodging from 

 bush to bush, threatening his pursuers with 

 his rifle. 



These proved to be but the forerunners of 

 a great war party, for when the sun rose the 

 hills around seemed black with Sioux. Had 

 they chosen to dash right in on the camp, 

 running the risk of losing several of their men 

 in the charge, they could of course have eaten 

 up the three hunters in a minute; but such a 

 charge is rarely practiced by Indians, who, 

 although they are admirable in defensive war- 

 fare, and even in certain kinds of offensive 

 movements, and although from their skill in 

 hiding they usually inflict much more loss 

 than they suffer when matched against white 

 troops, are yet very reluctant to make any 

 movement where the advantage gained must 

 be offset by considerable loss of life. The 

 three men thought they were surely doomed, 

 but being veteran frontiersmen and long in- 

 ured to every kind of hardship and danger, 

 they set to work with cool resolution to make 

 as effective a defence as possible, to beat off 

 their antagonists if they might, and if this 

 proved impracticable, to sell their lives as 

 dearly as they could. Having tethered the 

 horses in a slight hollow, the only one which 



