ittle well-placed flattery now an' then, though what I've been
sayin' to young William ain't flattery."

"In that matter I'm agreeing with you, Thomas Bent. You're dipping from
a well of truth, when you're saying all men are accessible to
flattery--and all women too, though perhaps more so."

"Mebbe women are more so an' mebbe men are more so. I reckon it depends
on whether a man or woman is tellin' it."

"Which is as near as we'll ever come to a decision," said Brady, "but of
one thing I'm sure."

"What's that, Steve?"

"We've dallied long enough with the flesh pots of Egypt. If William will
take his glasses he can see the land of Canaan outspread far below us.
It is there that we must go."

"An' that thar land o' Canaan," said the Little Giant, "is rid over by
Sioux warriors, ready to shoot us with rifles or stick us through with
lances. I'd hate to die hangin' on a Sioux lance. Sech a death makes me
shiver. Ef I've got to die a violent death, give me a good, honest
bullet ev'ry time. You hevn't seen the Sioux at work with lances, hev
you, young William?"

"No, Tom."

"Well, I hev. They fight with 'em, o' course, an' they hev a whole code
o' signals with 'em, too. In battle everybody must obey the head chief,
who gives the orders to the sub-chiefs, who then direct their men
accordin'. Often thar ain't a chance to tell by words an' then they use
the lances fur signallin'. In a Sioux army, an', fur the matter o' that,
in any Indian army, the hoss Indians is divided into two columns, the
right an' the left. When the battle comes on, the head war chief rides
to the top o' a ridge or hill, gen'ally 'bout half a mile 'way from the
scrap. The columns on the right an' the left are led by the under
chiefs.

"Then the big chief begins to tell 'em things with his lance. He ain't
goin' to fight with that lance, an' fur other purposes he hez fastened
on it near the blade a big piece o' dressed skin a yard squar' an'
painted black. Now he stretches the lance straight out in front o' him
an' waves it, which means fur both columns to attack all at once an'
right away, lickety-split. Ef he stretches the lance out to his right
and waves it forward it means fur the right column alone to jump inter
the middle o' things, the same movement on the left applyin' to the left
column, an' thar's a lot more which I could tell you 'bout lance
signallin' which I hope you won't hev to see."

"We will not disguise from ourselves," said