nd
disappeared over the hill. Swiftly Cameron ran to the top, and, lying
prone among the prairie grass, watched them for some time as they took
the trail that ran straight westward.

"Sarcee Reserve more than likely," he muttered to himself. "If Jerry
were only here! But he is not, so I must let them go in the meantime.
Later, however, we shall come up with you, gentlemen. And now for old
Crowfoot and with no time to lose."

He had only a couple of miles to go and in a few minutes he had reached
the main trail from the Militia camp at the Crossing. In the growing
darkness he could not discern whether Jerry had passed with the horses
or not, so he pushed on rapidly to the appointed place of meeting and
there found Jerry waiting for him.

"Listen, Jerry!" said he. "Copperhead is back. I have just seen him
and his son with Red Crow, Trotting Wolf and Running Stream. There were
three others--Sioux I think they are; at any rate I did not know them.
They passed me in the coulee and took the Sarcee trail. Now what do you
think is up?"

Jerry pondered. "Come from Crowfoot, heh?"

"From the reserve here anyway," answered Cameron.

"Trotting Wolf beeg Chief--Red Crow beeg Chief--ver' bad! ver' bad!
Dunno me--look somet'ing--beeg powwow mebbe. Ver' bad! Ver' bad! Go
Sarcee Reserve, heh?" Again Jerry pondered. "Come from h'east--by
Blood--Piegan--den Blackfeet--go Sarcee. What dey do? Where go den?"

"That is the question, Jerry," said Cameron.

"Sout' to Weegwam? No, nord to Ghost Reever--Manitou
Rock--dunno--mebbe."

"By Jove, Jerry, I believe you may be right. I don't think they would go
to the Wigwam--we caught them there once--nor to the canyon. What about
this Ghost River? I don't know the trail. Where is it?"

"Nord from Bow Reever by Kananaskis half day to Ghost Reever--bad
trail--small leetle reever--ver' stony--ver' cold--beeg tree wit' long
beard."

"Long beard?"

"Yes--long, long gray moss lak' beard--ver' strange place dat--from
Ghost Reever west one half day to beeg Manitou Rock--no trail. Beeg
medicine-dance dere--see heem once long tam' 'go--leetle boy me--beeg
medicine--Indian debbil stay dere--Indian much scare'--only go when mak'
beeg tam'--beeg medicine."

"Let me see if I get you, Jerry. A bad trail leads half a day north from
the Bow at Kananaskis to Ghost River, eh?"

Jerry nodded.

"Then up the Ghost River westward through the bearded trees half a day
to the Manitou Rock? Is that right?"