ld give them a quantity of our most valuable equipage, from
ammunition to blankets and kettles. To this, despite the advice and even
urgent plea of Baroney, our commander firmly refused to accede.

At last, after no little grumbling and threatening, they presented us
with a vessel of water, and drank and smoked with us, in token of amity.
Not satisfied with this, and warned by Baroney, I kept on my feet,
watching the treacherous warriors. Our wariness was justified by the
contemptuous manner in which many of their number threw away their
presents. When, immediately after this, we began to reload our pack
horses, the entire band pressed into our midst and began to pilfer right
and left.

For a time all was in the most perilous confusion, Pike and I having to
mount our horses to save the very pistols in our holsters. On every side
the savages were snatching articles, which the soldiers were doing their
best to wrest from them.

"The rogues!" cried Pike. "Baroney, command the chief to call off his
men. I'll not submit to open robbery!"

Even while Baroney interpreted the order, the chief slipped a knife from
the belt of one of the privates who was turned the other way, and hid it
behind his shield. Almost in the same moment he faced the Lieutenant,
and flung out his hand in a gesture of injured innocence.

Baroney hastily interpreted his ironic, hypocritical reply: "The great
white chief has an open hand, a good heart. It cannot be he grudges his
poor red friends a few small gifts. My braves are wretched; they are
needy; they hunger."

"Hungry, are they?" shouted Pike. "Then we'll give them lead to eat!
Stand ready to fire, men!" He rose in his stirrups and pointed his
pistol at the chief. "By the Almighty! I'll shoot the next scoundrel who
touches our goods!"

I looked for an instant acceptance of the challenge. Intermingled among
us as they were and so greatly superior in numbers, the savages had
every advantage. In hand to hand fighting their clubs and knives and
stone tomahawks would have been as efficient as our weapons, while our
firearms, once emptied, would have taken us more time to reload than an
Indian would require to shoot a quiverful of arrows.

For a long moment our fate hung in the balance, while the enraged
pilferers gripped their weapons and glared at us with murderous hate.
The tense silence was broken only by the sharp clicking of our hammers.
Suddenly Sergeant Meek, far too well disciplined to