“No, for he could not choose a worse battleground. He will probably follow along behind us for a few miles and then give it up.”
Lieutenant Parker afterward said that he never in his life felt such a tremor of fear as he did when he mounted the swell on which the Indian had stood half an hour before. He expected that the appearance of his cap above the hill would be the signal for a volley of rifle-balls. His guide rode beside him all the way, and as Parker looked at him he wished he had some of that boy’s fearlessness. He did not seem to care for the Indians at all, and neither did his face change color. He took off his sombrero, smoothed his long hair down across his shoulders and out of range of his eyes, all the while keeping his gaze directed toward the hills on each flank, to see that the savages did not make a rush upon them. When they mounted to the top of the swell not an Indian was to be seen, either in front or on the flanks. They had disappeared completely.
“Well, that squad of Sioux was easily whipped,” said Parker; and only those who have been in similar situations can realize how great was his satisfaction. “I looked for us to be laid out the minute we came in sight.”
“There isn’t a gully within half a mile of here,” said Carl, “and this proves to be the sort of fighting-ground that they don’t want. They would surround us with a horde of shrieking savages, all going at the top of their speed, so that we would find it difficult to hit one of them, and when they tired their horses they would go into that gully and rest and make up some other scheme for getting the advantage of us. Then they would come out and go at it again.”
“I declare there is some more of them over there,” said Parker, whose eyes had been constantly sweeping the horizon.
“Yes, and I am glad to see them.”
“Are they soldiers?” exclaimed Parker.
“They are, and the Indians caught sight of them before we did. That is what drove them away.”
Lieutenant Parker breathed easy after that. With his glass he could not make out the blue uniforms because they were so far away, but he had faith in his guide’s word; and just then Sergeant Leeds came up and saluted.
“The colonel was getting skeary on account of us, sir,” said he, with a wink of his eye that spoke volumes. “Them are soldiers who are coming out to see what has become of us.”