promised Frank
Gruard. "And," he added again, "we won't have far to go, either."

Yes, that had been the place; but General Custer and his Seventh
Cavalry already had found the villages, and the Sioux were on the
outlook to keep back other soldiers while the villages moved elsewhere.
Young Lieutenant Sibley and his thirty men were advancing into a
hornets' nest.

They had camped at the Montana line. With dawn they proceeded on very
cautiously, through a broken country. They were approaching the
stronghold of the Sioux. By sunrise they were about to strike the
Little Big Horn, where it issues from the rough foothills bordering the
north end of the Big Horn Range. Any moment, now, they might discover
the Sioux, or, worse, the Sioux might discover them.

Scout Gruard motioned to Lieutenant Sibley to halt the column; he
himself rode up a rocky outcrop, left his horse, and climbed afoot to
the top; he lay flat, and crawled, and just peeking over he leveled his
field-glasses upon the country beyond.

The little column watched him keenly. What would he see! He certainly
saw something of great interest, for with his hand behind him he
beckoned to Baptiste, below. Baptiste hastened, and crawled to Frank's
side. They both gazed, through their glasses, between the boulders.
They turned; ran, crouching, for their horses; mounted, and back they
came at a tearing gallop.

"Be quick!" Scout Gruard rapped. "Follow me for your lives."

Everybody heard. Not another word was spoken. The soldiers who had
been easing their horses vaulted into the saddle. Away they all raced,
following Baptiste westward through the foothills. The route was
rough, but he fled straight across red sandstone ledges, some dropping
six and seven feet, in the arroyos and draws, until he rounded to
behind a bare bluff.

He, Baptiste and the lieutenant immediately left the men and horses and
climbed for a look at the back trail. Reporter Finerty soon overtook
them, to find out what was the matter--although he had no doubts about
it.

To this time only Frank and Baptiste knew, apparently. But when they
four had reached a view-point, and had their glasses out, the
lieutenant calmly asked:

"What did you see, Frank?"

"Only Sitting Bull's war-party! I could have told they'd be here
around the Little Big Horn, without our coming."

Sitting Bull's war-party! That meant Sioux, with a vengeance.
Lieutenant Sibley said nothing. Reporter Fine