"Indians!" yelled Neale, as he swept on.

He glanced back once to see a tall, dark-faced man wearing a frock-coat
speak to the others and then wildly fling out his arms.

It was down-hill on the way back, and the horse, now thoroughly heated
and excited, ran his swiftest. Far down the line Neale saw columns of
smoke rolling upward. They appeared farther on than his camp, yet they
caused him apprehension. His cheek blanched at the thought that the camp
containing Allie Lee might be surrounded by Indians. His fears, however,
were groundless, for soon he saw the white tents and the cabins, with
the smoke columns rising far below.

Neale rode into camp from the west in time to see Dillon's scout
galloping hard up from the east. Neale dismounted before the waiting
officers to give his report.

"Good!" replied Dillon. "You certainly made time. We can figure on those
graders in an hour or so?"

"Yes. There were horses enough for half the gang," answered Neale.

"Now for Anderson's report," muttered the officer.

Anderson was the scout. He rode up on a foam-lashed mustang, and got
off, dark and grimy with dust. His report was that he had been unable
to get in touch with any soldiers or laborers along the line, but he had
seen enough with his own eyes. Half-way between the camp and Benton
a large force of Sioux had torn up the track, halted and fired the
work-train. A desperate battle was being fought, with the odds against
the workmen, for the reason that the train of box-cars was burning.
Troops must be rushed to the rescue.

Colonel Dillon sent a trooper with orders to saddle the horses.

This sent a cold chill through Neale. "General, if the Sioux rounded us
up here in this camp we'd be hard put to it," he said, forcibly.

"Right you are, Neale. The high slopes, rocks, and trees would afford
cover. Whoever picked out this location for a camp wasn't thinking of
Indians... But we need scarcely expect an attack here."

"Suppose we get the women away--to the hills," suggested Neale.

Anderson shook his head. "They might be worse off. Here you've shelter,
water, food, and men coming. That's a big force of Sioux. They'll have
lookouts on all the hills."

It was decided to leave a detachment of soldiers under Lieutenant Brady,
who was to remain in camp until the arrival of the graders, and then
follow hard on Colonel Dillon's trail.

Besides Allie Lee there were five other women in camp, and they all came
out to