After they had satisfied themselves as to what I
was, they galloped to the north, and I soon lost sight of them behind
the hills."
"I wonder what troops are doing out here. I haven't heard of any trouble
with the Indians, and there is no gang of outlaws this far north that it
would take troops to subdue."
Stella looked at Ted significantly, and he read her thoughts.
Could it be that Lieutenant Barrows had been able to use his influence,
or his cunning, to bring a detachment of troops so far away from the
post to attend to his own personal affairs, while ostensibly on the
government's business?
He dismissed the thought, however, as soon as it was conceived. It
appeared to be too ridiculous.
However, they were all on their guard now. They realized that there were
others on the range, and they were aware that a powerful and vindictive
enemy was close at hand.
"How did you come to receive the shot in the leg?" asked Ted, breaking
the silence.
"As I turned to ride to camp to report what I had seen, something moved
down in the coulee. At first I thought it might be a wolf or coyote, but
as I drove the pony into it a shot was fired, and it got me in the leg.
I didn't wait for any more, as I did not know how many men there might
be, and I deemed it wise to get to camp alive with the news.
Pages:
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349