“Very true. But there are great odds against you.” “No man, I believe, sir, stands a better chance of getting through than myself.” “That is so; yet, while many good men might be spared to make the attempt, you are the one who cannot be replaced.” “Thank you, sir; but my life is no more to me than another man’s is to him. If I’d been thinking of the chances of getting shot up all these years, I reckon I’d turned up my toes long ago. I never think of death if I can help it.” “It’s true, Cody!” exclaimed the major. “You act as though the bullet wasn’t molded that could kill you.” “So the redskins say, I believe,” responded the scout grimly. “Yet your place cannot easily be filled,” the major said again. “If you can get some other volunteer I wish you would. I don’t want to lose you, Bill.” “Captain Keyes is anxious to go, sir, but----” “Oh, yes; Keyes is a daredevil whom nothing will daunt; but I refused his request and those of my few other officers.” “Then I must go, sir.” “First, tell me about your mission,” said the major abruptly. “I delivered your despatches, sir,” said Cody, “and here are others for you. On coming within a few miles of the fort I saw that several large parties of Indians had passed, all seemingly making in this direction. I knew what was up at once. I suspected that unless you had been lucky enough to get a supply of ammunition before the reds closed in on you, you’d run short; but there was that horse load we had to bury last year when I was on the expedition with Captain Ames. So I went over there and found it all in good shape. “I came mighty near losing it all, however,” added the scout, smiling, “for in the very act of uncovering the stuff I was come upon by a redskin on a good horse. It was kill or be killed, and before he could either shoot me or knife me I had laid him out. “His war-bonnet and rigging made a pretty good disguise for me. And certainly his horse came in handy. The animal was not a wild pony, but had Uncle Sam’s brand on him. Where the red got him, Heaven only knows. Some poor white man probably lost his life before he lost his horse. “However, I dressed up as near like an Injun as I could, and packed the ammunition on the dead man’s mount. I made a détour so as to come up from the west, and be opposite the main gate; for I knew about how the red devils would swarm about you here. And I was not interfered with until, coming out on that ridge, I had to throw aside my disguise, or run the risk of being made a target of by some of your fellows in the stockade here. I knew they could shoot better than the redskins,” and Cody laughed. “So here I am,” the scout added, “little the worse for wear, major.” “And a more gallant ride I never saw. You have done nobly, Cody. The ammunition will keep us going for some hours.” “Unless the redskins rush you too hard.” “You think they will try to charge again--and without their horses?”