Louder and louder it came, until an opening in the forest showed the
advancing cavalcade to be a party of white men. In another moment
they were in full view--a band of about thirty horsemen, clad in the
leathern costume and armed with the long rifle of the far west.
Some wore portions of the gaudy Indian dress, which gave to them a
brilliant, dashing look. They came on straight for the block-house,
and saluted the Varleys with a jovial cheer as they swept past at full
speed. Dick returned the cheer with compound interest, and calling
out, "They're trappers, mother; I'll be back in an hour," bounded off
like a deer through the woods, taking a short cut in order to reach
the block-house before them. He succeeded, for, just as he arrived at
the house, the cavalcade wheeled round the bend in the river, dashed
up the slope, and came to a sudden halt on the green. Vaulting from
their foaming steeds they tied them to the stockades of the little
fortress, which they entered in a body.

Hot haste was in every motion of these men. They were trappers, they
said, on their way to the Rocky Mountains to hunt and trade furs. But
one of their number had been treacherously murdered and scalped by a
Pawnee chief, and they resolved to revenge his death by an attack on
one of the Pawnee villages. They would teach these "red reptiles" to
respect white men, they would, come of it what might; and they had
turned aside here to procure an additional supply of powder and lead.

In vain did the major endeavour to dissuade these reckless men from
their purpose. They scoffed at the idea of returning good for evil,
and insisted on being supplied. The log hut was a store as well as
a place of defence, and as they offered to pay for it there was no
refusing their request--at least so the major thought. The ammunition
was therefore given to them, and in half-an-hour they were away