SATANK ARRIVES 



and after going a few rods, stopped and looked in- 

 quiringly back at me, as if to ask: "Am I right?'' 



"Yes, yes,'' I answered impatiently as I mo- 

 tioned him away, "go to Tom! go to Tom!" 



The dog seemed now fully to comprehend my 

 wishes, and lit out up the ravine on a lively run, 

 now and then disappearing from my view for a 

 moment in the sinuosities of the gulch. 



I turned to go down into the cabin to get the 

 field-glass, the better to watch the progress of the 

 dog, and in doing so I instinctively cast my glance 

 in the direction of the point of timber where Satank 

 and Joe had entered a few moments before, and 

 there saw a party of mounted Indians hurrying out 

 of the woods and starting across the prairie after 

 the team. 



The Kiowas were about as near the wagon as 

 Found, and it seemed that it would be a close race 

 between the dog and Indians as to which would 

 reach the team first. With the field-glass I 

 watched the advance of Indians and dog with ex- 

 cited anxiety. The pursuers and my messenger 

 had entered broken ground between the creek val- 

 ley and the upland, and I could catch only occa- 

 sional glimpses of them. To get a better view I 

 climbed up on the derrick, where we usually hung 

 our fresh meat, which gave me a few feet more of 

 elevation. I tried to count the Indians as they 

 started in pursuit of the wagon and made out that 

 they numbered about forty. 



251 



