rs before, had crept secretly
into their camp, an unknown trespasser!

Rube Carter marvelled at the strangeness of the situation, though not
for an instant did he doubt Kiddie's fitness and ability. In Rube's
estimation there was nothing great and honourable that Kiddie was
incapable of doing.

Rube wanted to go up to Kiddie now and ask him how this transformation
had all come about; but he did not dare. Instead, he stood watching
Kiddie riding slowly along the files, inspecting them, followed by
Falling Water, Short Nose, and the principal warriors.

It was not until after Rube had washed and made himself tidy that he
had a chance of speaking with Kiddie. They were then at breakfast, or
what passed for breakfast in the Indian encampment. As a matter of
fact, it was an enormous feast that was served to them, of buffalo
steak, beaver tail, prairie chicken, stewed berries, and great
quantities of rich new milk, with all the other luxuries that the
attentive Crows could lavish upon them.

"Looks as if they'd bin turnin' you into a boss war chief, Kiddie,"
Rube began. "Some sudden on their part, ain't it?"

"Well, yes," returned Kiddie, "it's certainly sudden, seeing that I'm
just a stranger among 'em. But you see, it's this way. After you'd
gone to sleep last night, one of Falling Water's scouts came in,
reportin' that the story of the herd of buffalos was all a made-up
affair. He'd been on a big scout round about the Broken Feather
Agency, and he was able to prove that Broken Feather and his warriors
and braves were busy gettin' ready to come out on the war-path against
the Crows. The expedition's timed to start so as to be right here
while the Crows are out huntin' imaginary buffaloes."

"Just your own idea," commented Rube, "the same idea to a tick! And so
the Crows are fixin' up things to be ready for the defence, I conclude?"

"Not exactly that," Kiddie corrected. "They're goin' ter strike the
first blow by makin' a surprise attack on the Sioux. They're not
figurin' to wait until Broken Feather makes the assault."

"But then," Rube objected, "didn't Short Nose--otherwise Simon
Sprott--say last night that the Crows hadn't a warrior capable of
undertakin' such an expedition?"

"Seems he's changed his mind," said Kiddie.

Rube scratched the back of his ear, which was his habit when thinking
deeply.

"Somethin' new, eh, t' get a English nobleman ter lead a band of
painted Redskins on the war-path