, which he thought would come
in handy for the Indians should they lay siege to Minturne Creek.

When he knew the weight of the goods, he sent word down the river to
Moose at Fort Bennett, and the latter hired five additional waggons and
teams, which were all in readiness when he arrived by steamer with the
machinery. Everything was soon packed up, and the little party tracked
back to the camp, having been but twenty days away altogether.

"You air smart!" said Seth, who was the first to welcome Ernest on his
arrival, the ex-mate having now quite recovered from his wounds, and
"hopping about on his pins," as he expressed it, "as merrily as ever,"
himself again in every particular. "You air smart, mister! I guess
you're the slickest coon I ever seed for makin' tracks--Jerusalem, you
air!"

"You would have made haste too, friend Seth," said Ernest, laughing--
there never was such a fellow to laugh as he was--"if you had heard what
I have about those blessed Indians, and our old acquaintance, Rising
Cloud."

"What is that?" asked Mr Rawlings anxiously, who had just come up in
time to catch the last observation of the young engineer--"what have you
heard about Rising Cloud?"

"Only," said Ernest, and he spoke gravely enough now--"that he is
spreading murder and havoc all along the banks of the Missouri, and may
be soon here upon us with the miscreant gang he leads. I heard terrible
tales of him in the steamer I came down the river in. The captain of
the little craft told me that the Indians had burnt every outlying
settlement in Southern Dakota, massacring all the white inhabitants, and
were making their way northwards, so we'd better look out. Why, he said
they'd even attacked his boat when it was at one of the landings; and if
he hadn't put on steam he and his vessel would have been settled, with
all on board."

"Ah," said Mr Rawlings, "that corroborates the warning we got from the
commander of the United States troops at Fort Warren when you were away.
We certainly must keep a careful look now, for it would not do to
repeat all of my poor Cousin Ned's experiences, and have the result of
our toil snatched from our grasp by those relentless fiends of the
prairie when it was just within our reach, as it was in his, poor
fellow!"

Mr Rawlings then went on to tell Ernest what they had heard, and give
an account of what had transpired during his absence at the settlements;
after which the whole party proceeded t