"What did the scouts say?"
"They said that the sentinels on the hills saw the white men break camp and come this way—many of them—so they say."
"Where are they now?"
"They are hidden in the pines of the valley. They will soon be here—so they say."
"Take a fresh pony and ride back and tell all who have children here to come down and talk with me. Tell them I will turn the white men away. No one shall be harmed. The children are safe. There will be no war. I will meet them in the old camp. I keep repeating there is no danger because I believe it," he said to the silent group around him, after Wolf Robe rode away. "There is nothing to be done but wait. So go about your duties," he added, with a note of command.
One by one the employés dropped away till only Wilson remained. His only sign of nervousness was a quiver of the muscles of one cheek, where he held his quid of tobacco. His bright blue eyes were fixed on the sentinels, while he leaned negligently against the fence. Lawson, smoking a German pipe, was watching the warriors on the hills, a rapt expression on his face, as if he were working out some problem in ethics which demanded complete concentration and absorption of thought. The two girls had drawn close together as if for comfort, their nerves a-quiver with the strain.
"Are you waiting for something to go off?" suddenly asked Curtis.
Each one started a little, and all laughed together.
"I think I was," confessed Elsie.
"You seemed to be holding your breath. I wish you'd both go in and rest," he pleaded. "It is no use—"