these
excited fifteen hundred Sioux and Cheyenne warriors--not to speak of
some five thousand women and children--met defeat, was a serious
problem. Had the situation been sooner realized, the whites could have
organized into some sort of home defense. Red Cloud and Howling Bull, so
far as could be discerned, contemplated the scene, and the coming event,
with absolute composure.

Huge pools of water had blue-patched the racetrack after the downpour;
but these had drained off to a great extent, leaving the track a little
greasy perhaps, but quite usable; and Jim recalled with interest the
shoeing of the Buckskin. "This was what it was for; how did the heathens
know it was coming?" By mutual agreement, at length, the race was
postponed for two hours, which, under such a sun, would bring the track
back nearly to normal; and since the Indians had had the Buckskin shod,
it was the same for both. It was decided that the start should be made
when the sun was over Inyan Kara, the tallest of the hills in sight to
the west; this meant, as nearly as possible, at four o'clock.

At two o'clock all the world seemed there. There were mounted
Indians--men and women--by thousands, and at least a thousand mounted
whites besides the soldiers. The plain was dotted with life and colour
from far beyond the Indian camp to Fort Ryan; but the centre of all was
the racetrack; and camped alongside, or riding or sitting near, was the
thickest group of folk of both races, bound to lose no glimpse of the
stirring contest.

The delay made for new excitement; the nerve strain became greater as
each hour passed. The white soldiers did what they could to hold the
crowd, and the Indians called on their own "Dog Soldiers" or camp police
to do the same. Fortunately, it was a good-natured crowd; and the
absconding of the Crows had removed the largest element of risk, so far
as violence was concerned. Jim was ablaze with the wildest of them all.
He rode away and back at a gallop to work it off. Belle was too tired to
join these boisterous runs, so he rode alone at first. But another woman
rider was there; from the crowd Lou-Jane Hoomer spurred her bay, and
raced beside him. She was an excellent horsewoman, had a fine mount, and
challenged Jim to a ride. Handsome, her colour up, her eyes sparkling,
Lou-Jane could have ridden away, for she had the better mount, but she
didn't; she rode beside him, and, when a little gully called for a jump,
they jumped toge