"Well," said Tom, "we'll have to stand these night-prowling buffalo off some way, and I think the best way will be for Peck to mount one of the horses just before night and ride 'round the neighborhood and drive off any herds that seem to be heading toward our hay-field. I wouldn't kill any more of them at present, for we can't spare the time to do much wolf skinning, but just stampede them and stand them off for a few days till we get our hay cut and hauled; then you may go for them, and the wolves, too. We don't often have occasion to take the hide off a buffalo, but I've been thinking it would be a good scheme to skin a few of the first ones we kill till we get hides enough to lay over the timbers on top of our dugouts before we throw the dirt on, to keep the fine dirt from sifting down on the inside; so, Peck, you may as well take the hide off this one and bring it up to camp when you go down there to poison the meat for wolf bait.
"While Jack and I are mowing to-day you can look out a suitable place along up the ravine here above camp where we can make a crossing, and dig down the banks a little, throwing the dirt into the hollow so's we can cross the wagon over; and while we're hauling hay we'll just leave the wagon over on the other side of the draw. We'll stack the hay, as we haul it, on the bank, close up to the stable so's it'll be handy.
"And, mind you, that at no time and under no circumstances must the camp guard leave camp."
"Have you seen any fresh signs, Tom, that make you think there's Indians about?" I asked.
Camp of the Wolf Hunters
"Not a thing, but I want to keep you 'minded with the idea that in this country 'eternal vigilance is the price of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,' as the Bible says. We know how tricky Injuns are, and, although we've seen no fresh signs, a prowling party is likely to drop onto us any time; and just think what a fix we'd be in if they should happen to get into our camp and all hands away. How completely they'd have the drop on us! I'm not scared of them, nor trying to scare you, but we've got to keep our eyes peeled and be prepared all the time."
"All right," I replied with an air of more confidence than I really felt, "I guess Found and I will be able to take care of camp."
"Of course," continued Tom reassuringly, "all Injuns ain't hostile, but we've got to keep on the safe side; and if a party of them approaches our camp at any time, even if they profess to be friendly, we must stand them off and never allow more than a few—just what we feel sure we can handle—to come into camp at a time; and even then, always keep your eyes on them and your arms and cartridges handy."