| abstract
| - Chip Blake was a young rider for the Pony Express. An old cowboy named Martin instructed Chip Blake on his new job, explaining, "Your main trouble, in this good weather, will be the savages... and I got just two words on them... The words is 'kill 'em!' They're all alike, and the only good injun is a dead injun... They're tricky as coyotes... mean as snakes!" On his first delivery, a "Devil Band" of "Chief Three Claws" descended from the hills to attack Chip. He narrowly escapes, but comes upon a "treed Indian" who climbed into a tree to escape a wounded bear. Chip Blake decides he can't let the Indian be killed, though he was Blake's enemy; "My folks always taught me a human's a human-the bad as well as the good-and I'll waste one bullet to back that notion.." Blake shoots the bear and treats the Native American's wounded arm before continuing on his delivery. After some time delivering for the Pony Express, Chip Blake attracts the attention of Sally. Sally tells him Hiram Sibley intends to have his telegraph completed before winter. Chip replies, "Yep, I heard all that. And I know what it means that the Pony Express won't have long to run...But I been saving my wages, Sal, and I got some plans in mind..." The conversation is interrupted when Chief Three Claws attacks the station. The riders drive off the attackers, but the rider the were chasing by the name of Buck appears to be dying. An offer of $200 to finish the delivery is taken up by Chip, under the protests voiced by Sally, saying the orders were likely more important than the life of one man. Martin confirms this, saying the delivery could save ten lives a day. Chief Three Claws' men watch Chip head out on the delivery. With his new rifle, Chief Three Claw and his warriors race to kill Chip. His horse shot and himself wounded in the hip, Blake desperately tries to fight off the attack, using the body of his horse as a shield. A band of Shoshone braves, led by Red Hawk, appear and fight off Three Claw's warriors, saving Chip Blake. Red Hawk has his men treat Chip's wounds and place him on a travois. Red Hawk says, "Let it be unknown how Shoshone eyes have watched his trail and kept it safe since his angry gun spared the life of Red Hawk!" Placing his hand on Chip Blake's chest as the latter laid on the travois, "You do not know the tongue I speak, so let my eyes say this-may the Great Spirit go with you and be good to you, my friend!" Blake's travois is set loose and allowed into the entrance of Fort Bridger where he is recognized by the soldiers. When questioned as to who the warriors who saved him were, Chip Blake says, "I-I don't know, Colonel Webster...I only know the Piutes jumped me-the others rode up-" He ends the story by saying, "Maybe it will all come to me later...There's a face in my mind I know I saw somewhere...But right now, all I can say for sure is that Mr. Martin is plump wrong about dead Indians being the only good Indians!"
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