Page:B M Bower - Heritage of the Sioux.djvu/278

THE HERITAGE OF THE SIOUX watched catlike for some open demonstration, and fired when they had the slightest reason to believe that they would hit something besides scenery.

"Miguel must have upset their plans a little," Luck deduced after a lull. "They set the stage for us down in that hollow, I guess. You can see what we'd have been up against if we had ridden ten rods farther, out away from these rocks and bushes."

"Aw, they wouldn't dast kill a bunch uh white men!" Happy Jack protested, perhaps for his own comfort.

"You think they wouldn't?" Luck's voice was surcharged with sarcasm. "What do you think they're trying to do, then?"

"Aw, the gov'ment wouldn't stand fer no such actions!"

"Well, by cripes, I hain't aimin' to give the gov'ment no job uh setting on my remains, investigatin' why I was killed off!" Big Medicine asserted, and took a shot at a distant grimy Stetson to prove he meant what he said.

"Say, they'd have had a snap if we'd gone on, and let these fellows back here in the trees close 266