ore than a hundred yards from where our vehicles were
arranged, in the usual hollow circle, with the camp-fire and the
people inclosed.

When darkness set in, guards of our best men, armed with the most
effective guns we had, were quietly distributed about the camp, the
chosen men crawling on their hands and knees to their allotted
positions, in order that the three strangers should not know our
arrangements. There was an understanding that, if there should be an
attack during the night, the first thing to do was, if possible, to
shoot those three men; for, under the circumstances, any attack
occurring that night would be deemed completion of proof that they
were responsible for it and for any atrocity that might follow or be
attempted.

The night passed without notable happening--except that at the break
of day the three men and their wagon silently stole away.

There was a feeling of great relief on being rid of them; but there
remained some apprehension of their turning up at some unguarded
moment and unpleasant place, to make us trouble; for their absence did
not remove the impression that they had come among us to gauge our
desirability as prey and the feasibility of overpowering our entire
train.

CHAPTER X.

CHALLENGE TO BATTLE.

We divided our long train into two parts, leaving a short space
between the sections. Mr. Wood's two wagons headed the forward part.
Toward the close of the day on which this change of arrangement was
made, the forward section turned off the road a short distance before
stopping to make camp, and the rear section passed slightly beyond the
first, left the road and halted, so that a double camp was formed,
with the two sections thus placed for the night in relative positions
the reverse of the order they had maintained during the day.

At night-fall, when supper was over and everything at rest, we saw
three horsemen going westward on the emigrant road. When they were
opposite the Maxwell, or forward, camp, as the train sections had
been placed, these men turned from the road and came toward us. We
soon recognized them as our late guests on the way: he of the big hat
and his two companions.

Riding into our camp, one of them remarked that they now observed the
change made in arrangement of our train, explaining that they had
intended to call on the Englishman, whose place had been in the lead.
They apologized for their mistake. The first speaker added that they
had hear