l this the ranch people told Ralph and the sergeant, as they were
enjoying a hot supper after the fifty-mile ride of the day. Afterwards
the two travellers went out into the corral to see that their horses
were secure for the night.

Buford looked up with eager whinny at Ralph's footstep, pricked his
pretty ears, and looked as full of life and spirit as if he had never
had a hard day's gallop in his life. Sergeant Wells had given him a
careful rubbing down while Ralph was at the telegraph office, and
later, when the horses were thoroughly cool, they were watered at the
running stream and given a hearty feed of oats.

Phillips came out to lock up his stable while they were petting Buford,
and stood there a moment admiring the pretty fellow.

"With your weight I think he could make a race against any horse in the
cavalry, couldn't he, Mr. Ralph?" he asked.

"I'm not quite sure, Phillips; the colonel of the Fifth Cavalry has a
horse that I might not care to race. He was being led along behind the
head-quarters escort to-day. Barring that horse Van, I would ride Buford
against any horse I've ever seen in the service for any distance from a
quarter of a mile to a day's march."

"But those Indian ponies, Mr. Ralph, couldn't they beat him?"

"Over rough ground--up hill and down dale--I suppose some of them could.
I saw their races up at Red Cloud last year, and old Spotted Tail
brought over a couple of ponies from Camp Sheridan that ran like a
streak, and there was a Minneconjou chief there who had a very fast
pony. Some of the young Ogallallas had quick, active beasts, but, take
them on a straight-away run, I wouldn't be afraid to try my luck with
Buford against the best of them."

"Well, I hope you'll never have to ride for your life on him. He's
pretty and sound and fast, but those Indians have such wind and bottom;
they never seem to give out."

A little later--at about half after eight o'clock--Sergeant Wells, the
telegraph operator, and one or two of the ranchmen sat tilted back in
their rough chairs on the front porch of the station enjoying their
pipes. Ralph had begun to feel a little sleepy, and was ready to turn in
when he was attracted by the conversation between the two soldiers; the
operator was speaking, and the seriousness of his tone caused the boy to
listen.

"It isn't that we have any particular cause to worry just here. With our
six or seven men we could easily stand off the Indians until help cam