“Have you met these Death Riders?” asked Mr. Doyle, after a brief silence produced by the impressive manner in which Bill had spoken. “Have you had any personal experience with them?”  
“Yes,” replied Buffalo Bill. “As chief of I have assisted more than once in efforts to hunt them down, but those efforts have not yet been successful, although in three little skirmishes we have thinned down the gang . They have a great knowledge of the best hiding places in the hills, and so have been able to pursuit.
 
“They have particular of me, because of my efforts to hunt them down, and they have sent me more than one message threatening my life. Only six weeks ago Wild Bill and myself were caught by seven of them in a narrow cañon, and we had a pretty close call.”
 
“What happened when you met them?” asked Mr. Doyle, looking at the king of the scouts .
 
“Oh, we managed to get away from them,” answered Buffalo Bill lightly.
 
“Why don’t you tell the story as I heard it from Wild Bill, Cody?” said young Mainwaring. “He told me that he was knocked senseless after two of the men were down, and that you killed the other five single-handed. Isn’t that true?”
 
The of the plains was to admit this, for he had an almost dislike of anything that of boasting, but finally, under the cross-questioning of the girls, he was obliged to confess that Wild Bill had stated the facts.
 
“But the Shawnees are as dangerous as the Death Riders,” the king of the scouts added. “Indeed, I think they are even more so. I’ve had a good deal of experience of that tribe during my life on the plains.
 
“Unlike the tribe which is so nearly related to them—the Pawnees—they have a most hatred of the white man, and they never lose a chance of gratifying it.
 
“They’ve always been ugly neighbors for us, but since their present chief, Evil Heart, has risen to power they have been worse than ever.
 
“They have not actually dug up the and declared war against us at the present time, but there are nasty reports from our Pawnee scouts that all is not right with them in their villages.
 
“They are talking fight all the time, and Evil Heart and the medicine men are doing all they can to encourage it. I have had a good deal to do with Evil Heart myself at various times, and we don’t like one another much. I spared his life once when I had him in my power, and I think it was a great mistake on my part.”
 
“Well,” said Mr. Doyle, setting his teeth grimly, “I am much obliged to you, Colonel Cody, for this information, but I am afraid that I cannot change my plans on account of it. The dangers which you mention seem, to my mind, rather remote, and I should feel myself a coward if I were to abandon my journey on account of them.”
 
Buffalo Bill looked at the two girls across the table, and thought sadly that they were the ones who were likely to suffer through their father’s .
 
 
If the party with the train had consisted only of men he would have had nothing to say. They could have taken their chances, as men should.
 
But the thought of the danger to which May and Gertrude would be exposed worried him greatly. He was only too familiar with the tortures which the Indians were accustomed to upon helpless women or any other white captives who might chance to fall into their hands.
 
Yet it was evidently hopeless to try to induce Mr. Doyle to change his opinion and abandon his journey. The border king was a good reader of faces and of character, and he could see quite clearly that there was a strain of obstinacy in the old man’s nature which would make him reject the best advice if it did not happen to coincide with his preconceived opinions.
 
“How many men have you with your wagon train?” asked the .
 
“There are four of them, not counting Norfolk Ben,” replied the old man.
 
“What sort of men are they?”
 
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