race would come
off as announced; such a horse as Blazing Star could not long be
concealed; they would follow up the Crows and recover him in a few days.
So, after all, the outlook was not so very dark.

Already the plain was surging with life. Gaily-clad Indians were riding
at speed for the pleasure of speeding. Thousands of gaudy blankets--put
out to air in the sun--seemed to double the density, colour, and
importance of the camp. New wagons came with their loads, new life
developed; now came a procession of Indians singing their racing songs,
for the Indian has a song for every event in life; bodies of United
States troops were paraded here and there as a precautionary and
impressive measure; the number of Indians assembled, and their
excitability, began to cause the authorities some apprehension.

The Boyds were there in their democrat and had brought picnic food for
all day; but Hartigan was a special favourite at the Fort, and he, with
Belle, was invited to join its hospitable garrison mess, where social
life was in gala mood. It was an experience for Belle, for she had not
realized before how absolutely overwhelming a subject the horse race
could be among folk whose interests lay that way, and whose lives,
otherwise, were very monotonous. She was a little shocked to note that
every one of the wives at the table was betting on the race--in some
cases, for considerable money. The one restraining force in the case was
the absence of takers, since all were backing Red Rover.

An amusing incident occurred when, during the meal, a bead-eyed young
squaw entered the mess room and stood a little inside the door.

"What does she want?" asked the Colonel.

Then the interpreter: "She wants to bet on the race. She wants to bet
her baby against yours."

A pretty good proof of a sure thing, for no race loves its children more
than the red folk. An Indian has no compunction whatever in staking his
treaty money, which comes so easily and may as lightly go; he does not
hesitate to risk all his wealth, for after all wealth is a burden; he
will even wager his wife, if the game possesses him; but he is very shy
of staking his children. He does it on occasion, but only when he
considers it a foregone result--a certainty of winning.

The Indian Agent had many close conferences with the Colonel. He
strongly disapproved the whole racing excitement and plainly indicated
that he held the Colonel responsible. What would happen when