“Not about Dick Danforth?”
“It is, sir. Lieutenant Danforth is dead—dead with all his men!”
“No!”
“It is the awful truth, sir.”
“I cannot believe it, Cody. You are beside yourself. You look strange, man!”
“Aye, and you would look strange yourself had you seen what I have seen, Captain Keyes.”
“Tell me!”
“I was on my way to Fort Advance with the news when I happened to see you—as I supposed, facing a grizzly bear over on this ridge.”
“He was worse than a grizzly,” said Keyes, with a glance at the giant. “But give me the particulars——”
“Boyd Bennett has joined the Sioux, betrayed Danforth and his men into a trap, and the whole party were wiped out.”