bled guard apparently was wasted.
Shortly after daylight the opposite hill suddenly swarmed with dashing
warriors, whose horsemanship was a revelation to some of the tenderfeet.
Following the warriors came the non-combatants of the tribe, pouring
down the slope in noisy confusion. Woodson swore under his breath as he
saw the moving village enter the shallow waters of the river to camp on
the same side with the caravan, for it seemed that his flowery
assurances of love and esteem had been taken at their face value; but he
was too wise to credit this, knowing that Indians were quick to take
advantage of any excuse that furthered their ends. The closer together
the two camps were the more easily could the Indians over-run the
corralled traders.

Reaching the encampment's side of the stream the lodges were erected
with most praiseworthy speed, laid out in rows, and the work finished in
a remarkably short time. The conical lodges averaged more than a dozen
feet in diameter and some of them, notably that of the chief, were
somewhere near twice that size.

In the middle of the morning the chiefs and the more important warriors
paid their visit to the corral and were at once put in good spirits by a
salute from the cannons, a passing of the red-stone pipes, and by
receiving presents of tobacco and trade goods. While they sat on the
ground before Woodson's wagon and smoked, the medicine man seemed
restless and finally arose to wander about. He bumped into Tom Boyd, who
had been waiting to see him alone, and was quickly led to Franklin's
wagon where the owner, hiding his laughter, was waiting. It is well to
have the good will of the chiefs, but it is better also to have that of
the medicine man; and wily Hank Marshall never overlooked that end of it
when on a trading expedition among the Indians. He had let Woodson into
his secret before the parley of the day before, and now his scheme was
about to bear fruit.

Franklin made some mysterious passes over a little pile of goods which
was covered with a gaudy red cloth on which had been fastened some beads
and tinsel; and as he did so, both Tom and Hank knelt and bowed their
heads. Franklin stepped back as if fearful of instant destruction, and
then turned to the medicine man, who had overlooked nothing, with an
expression of reverent awe on his face.

For the next few minutes Franklin did very well, considering that he
knew very little of what he was talking about, but he manage