These thoughts passed rapidly through the mind of Kit Carey as he stood there, grasping the nose of his horse with his left hand, and holding his repeating rifle, a splendid Evans repeating gun, shooting thirty-five times.
The Cheyennes were armed with Winchesters, and stood ready, as did their commander.
Then, too, all three had their revolvers, and the Sioux would think a whole troop was there should they discover them, and cause them to open fire.
In spite of the peril of his situation, Lieutenant Carey calmly counted his foes.
He saw by the feather bonnet, indistinctly seen, that a chief rode in advance.
Then came the braves in single file until thirty had passed.
Kit Carey gave a sigh of relief as they went by without discovering them, and said to the Cheyennes:
"A chief and thirty braves. They cannot be very dangerous, or intending an attack. Some scouting party only, I think."
The Cheyennes thought the same, and then came a consultation as to which way the Sioux were going, and was it best to follow them, or go on into the Bad Lands, as the lieutenant had intended.
Kit Carey wished to get the ideas of the scouts, for he knew that they were well worthy of consideration, and the result was that he decided to send one of the Indian soldiers upon the trail of the party of Sioux, and the other ahead by a flank movement, to the command of the general toward whom they were making their way.