by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VII
CHASED
The party pressed forward as rapidly as they could. The ground was roughand at times very steep, and those on foot were able to keep up with thehorses without much difficulty.
"You think the Indians will follow, uncle?" Tom asked.
"They will follow, you may bet your boots, Tom; by this time they havegot to the bottom of the mystery. The first thing this morning some ofthem will go up on to the ledge where you were, follow your tracks downto the canyon where you left the horses, and find that you came up thevalley and not down it. They will have made out that there were twowhites and two red-skins, and that the two red-skins have gone up thecanyon with the horses. Directly the matter is all cleared up, they willbe hotter than ever for our scalps, for there is nothing a red-skinhates worse than being fooled. Of course, they will know that it is agood deal harder to wipe out seven men than three, and I don't thinkthey will attack us openly; they know well enough that in a fair fighttwo red-skins, if not three, are likely to go down for each white theyrub out. But they will bide their time: red-skins are a wonderful handat that; time is nothing to them, and they would not mind hanging aboutus for weeks and weeks if they can but get us at last. However, we willtalk it all over when the Indians join us. I don't think there is anychance of fighting to-day, but whether we shall get out of thesemountains without having another scrimmage is doubtful."
Tom noticed that in his talk with him his uncle dropped most of thewestern expressions which when speaking with the others he used asfreely as they did. He was now able to have a fair look at him, andfound that he agreed pretty closely with the ideas he had formed of him.There was a strong likeness between him and his brother. They were aboutthe same height, but Harry was broader and more strongly built. His facewas deeply bronzed by long exposure to the wind and sun. He had a largetawny beard, while Tom's father had been clean shaved. The sailor wasfive years the senior, but the miner looked far younger than Tom couldever remember his father looking, for the latter had never thoroughlyrecovered his, health after having had a long bout of fever on theZanzibar station; and the long stride and free carriage of his uncle wasin striking contrast to the walk of his father. Both had keen gray eyes,the same outline of face, the same pleasant smile.
"Now that I can see you fairly, Tom," the miner said, when they haltedonce for the horses to come up to them, "I can make out that you are agood deal like your father as I can first remember him."
"I was thinking you were very like him, uncle."
"We used to be alike in the old days, but I reckon the different liveswe led must have changed us both a great deal. He sent me once aphotograph four or five years ago, and at first I should not have knownit was he. I could see the likeness after a bit, but he was very muchchanged. No doubt I have changed still more; all this hair on my facemakes a lot of difference. You see, it is a very long time since we met.I was but twenty when I left England, and I had not seen him for two orthree years before that, for he was on the Mediterranean station at thetime. Well, here are the horses again, and as the ground looks flatterahead we shall have to push on to keep up with them." They werepresently altogether beyond the forest, and a broad plateau of bare rockstretched away in front of them for miles.
"There they are," Jerry Curtis shouted. "I was beginning to feel scaredthat the 'Rappahoes had got them."
It was a minute or two before Tom could make out the distant figures,for his eyes were less accustomed to search for moving objects than werethose of his companions.
"They are riding fast," Harry Wade said. "I reckon they have made outsome Indians on their trail."
The little dark mass Tom had first seen soon resolved itself into twohorsemen and two riderless animals. They were still three or four milesaway, but in twenty minutes they reached the party advancing to meetthem. The whites waved their hats and gave them a cheer as they rode up.
"So you have managed to get through them all right, chief?"
"The 'Rappahoes are dogs. They are frightened at shadows; their eyeswere closed. Leaping Horse stood near their fires and saw them goforward, and knew that his white brothers must have gained the forestbefore the 'Rappahoes got to the rock. He found the horses safe, but thecanyon was very dark and in some places very narrow, with many rocks inthe road, so that he had to stop till the moon was high. It was notuntil morning came that he reached the head of the canyon, an hour's ridefrom here. Half an hour back Leaping Horse went to the edge and lookeddown. There were ten 'Rappahoes riding fast up the trail. Has my brotherheard anything of the others?"
"Nothing whatever," Harry said. "I reckon they did not begin to moveuntil daylight, and as we went on when the moon rose they must be a goodtwo hours behind us. Which way do you think we had better go, chief?"
"Where does my brother wish to go?"
"It matters mighty little. I should say for a bit we had better travelalong this plateau, keeping about the same distance from thetimber-line. I don't think the 'Rappahoes will venture to attack us inthe open. If we keep on here we can cross the divide and get into theShoshones' country, and either go down the Buffalo and then up the Snakeand so work down south, or go east and strike some of the streamsrunning that way into the Big Horn."
The chief shook his head.
"Too far, too many bad Indians; will talk over fire tonight."
"That is it, chief. It is a matter that wants a good deal of talkingover. Anyhow, we had better be moving on at once."
Tom was glad to find himself in the saddle again, and the party rode onat a steady pace for some hours, then they halted, lit a fire, andcooked a meal. Tom noticed that the Indians no longer took pains togather dry sticks, but took the first that came to hand. He remarkedthis to Jerry.
"They know it is no use trying to hide our trail here; the two bands ofIndians will follow, one up and one down, until they meet at the spotwhere the chief joined us. From there they can track us easy enough.Nothing would suit us better than for them to come up to us here, for weshould give them fits, sartin. This is a good place. This little streamcomes down from that snow peak you see over there, and we have goteverything we want, for this patch of bushes will keep us in firing fora bit. You see, there are some more big hills in front of us, and we arebetter here than we should be among them. I expect we shall camp herefor the night."
"Then you don't think the Indians will come up close?"
"Not they. They will send a spy or two to crawl up, you may be sure, butthey will know better than to come within reach of our rifles."
"I am mighty glad to have my teeth into some deer-flesh again," BenGulston said. "We had two or three chances as we came along, but we darenot fire, and we have just been living on bread and bacon. Where did youkill these wapiti?"
"At our first halt, near Fremont's Pass. We got two."
"Well, you haven't eaten much, Jerry," Sam Hicks said. "I reckon fourmen ought pretty well to have finished off two quarters by this time."
"I reckon we should have finished one of the bucks, Sam; but we caught agrist of fish the same day, dried them in the sun, and I think we mostlyate them. They would not keep as well as the flesh. That is as good asthe day we shot it, for up here in the dry air meat keeps a sight betterthan down in the plains. Give me some more tea, Sam."
"What do you think, mates, of camping here?" Harry Wade said. "The chiefthinks we are better here than we should be if we moved on. He feelscertain the red-skins won't dare attack us."
There was a cordial agreement in favour of a halt, for after the workthey had gone through during the last week they were glad of a rest. Noone would have thought half an hour afterwards that the little partyengaged in washing their shirts at the stream or mending their clothes,were in the heart of a country unknown to most of them, and menaced by asavage foe. The horses cropped the scanty tufts of grass or munched theyoung tops of the bushes, the rifles stood stacked by the fire, nearwhich the two Indians sat smoking and talking earnestly together,Hunting Dog occasionally
getting up and taking a long careful look overthe plain. As the men finished their various jobs they came back to thefire.
"Now, chief," Harry said, "let us hear your ideas as to what we had bestdo. We are all pretty old hands at mountaineering, but we reckon youknow a great deal more about it than we do. You don't like the plans Iproposed."
"No can do it," the chief said positively. "In a moon the snow willfall, and there will be no crossing mountains."
"That is true enough," Jerry said. "An old trapper who had lived amongthe Shoshones told me that nine months in the year they were shut up inthe valleys by the snow on the passes."
"Then how can live?" the chief went on. "As long as we stay in thiscountry the 'Rappahoes will watch us. They will tell the Bannacks andthe Nez Perces, and they too would be on our trail. As long as we keeptogether and watch they will not come, they fear the white man's rifle;but we cannot live without hunting, and then they kill one, two, tillall killed. At night must always watch, at day cannot hunt. How we live?What good to stay? If we stop all killed sure."
There was silence round the circle. Every one of them felt the truth ofthe Indian's words, and yet they hated the thought of abandoning theirsearch for gold, or, failing that, of a return home with their horsesladen with beaver skins.
Harry was the first to speak. "I am afraid these varmint have interferedwith our plans, mates. If we had had the luck to drop into one of theupper valleys without being noticed we could have hunted and trappedthere and looked for gold for months without much chance of beingdiscovered, but this has upset it all. I am afraid that what the chiefsays is true. If we keep together we starve, if we break up and hunt weshall be ambushed and killed. I hate giving up anything I have set mymind on, but this time I don't see a way out of it. We ain't the firstparty that has come up here and had to go back again with empty hands,and we know what happened to that party of twenty old-time miners fromCalifornia two years ago, though none of them ever got back to tell thetale. We knew when we started, it wur just a chance, and the cards havegone against us."
"That is so," Ben agreed; "if it had turned out well we might have madea good strike. It ain't turned out well, and as every day we stay herethere will be more of those varmint swarming round us, I say the soonerwe get out of this dog-goned country the better."
"You can count me in with you, Ben," Sam Hicks said. "We have gone infor the game and we don't hold hands, and it ain't no use bluffingagainst them red-skins. We sha'n't have lost much time arter all, and Ireckon we have all learned something. Some day when the railroad goesright across, Uncle Sam will have to send a grist of troops to reckon upwith the red-skins in these hills, and arter that it may be a goodcountry for mining and trapping, but for the present we are a darnedsight more likely to lose our scalps than to get skins."
"Well, Leaping Horse, which way would you advise us to take, then?"
"Go straight back to canyon, ride down there, cross river, go upmountains other side, pass them north of Union Peak, come down on upperwater Big Wind River. From there little way on to Green River. LeapingHorse never been there, but has heard. One long day's ride from here, goto upper waters of Green River."
"That sounds good," Jerry Curtis said. "If we could once strike theGreen we should be out of the 'Rappahoe country altogether. I have knowntwo or three men who have been up the Green nearly to its head, andthere is good hunting and a good many beaver in the side streams. Ishould not have thought it would have come anywhere like as near asthis, but I don't doubt the chief is right."
"Union Peak," the chief said, pointing to a crag rising among a tumbleof hills to the south.
"Are you sure, chief?"
The Indian nodded. "Forty, fifty miles away," he said. "Leaping Horsehas been to upper waters of Green River, seen the peak from other side."
"That settles it, then," Harry said. "That is our course, there cannotbe a doubt. I should never have proposed the other if I had had an ideathat we were within sixty or seventy miles of the Green River. And youthink we had better take the canyon you came up by, chief?"
The Indian nodded. "If go down through forest may be ambushed. Openground from here back to canyon. 'Rappahoes most in front. Think we gothat way, not think we go back. Get good start. Once across river followup little stream among hills other side, that the way to pass. If'Rappahoes follow us we fight them."
"Yes, we shall have them at an advantage there, for they would have tocome up under our fire, and there are sure to be places where half adozen men could keep fifty at bay. Very well, chief, that is settled.When do you think we had better start?"
"When gets dark," the chief replied. "No lose time, more Indian comeevery hour. Keep fire burning well, 'Rappahoes think we camp here. Takehorses a little way off and mount beyond light of fire."
"You think they will be watching us?"
"Sure to watch. First ride north half an hour, then turn and ride tocanyon. If spies see us go off take word to friends we gone north. Toodark to follow trail. They think they catch us easy to-morrow, and takeup trail in morning; but too late then, we cross river before that."
There was a general murmur of assent. The thought of being constantlywatched, and suddenly attacked when least expecting it, made them feelrestless, and the thought of early action was pleasant to them.
"You don't think that there are any spies watching us now, uncle, doyou?"
"Not close, Tom; they would know better than that. They could see usmiles away if we were to mount and ride off, and it is only when it getsdark that they would venture to crawl up, for if one were sighted in thedaytime he would not have a ghost of a chance of getting away, for wecould ride him down sartin."
"Well, I reckon we may as well take a sleep," Sam Hicks said. "You liedown for one, anyhow, Harry, for you watched last evening. We will tossup which of us keeps awake."
"Leaping Horse will keep watch," the chief said quietly. "No fear ofIndians, but better to watch."
Knowing the power of the red-skins to keep awake for an almost unlimitedtime, none of the others thought of refusing the offer, and in a fewminutes all were sound asleep. Towards sunset they were on their feetagain. Another meal was cooked and eaten, then as it became dusk thehorses were gathered fifty yards away, and Hunting Dog and Tom tooktheir places beside them.
"Keep your eyes open and your rifle handy, Tom," his uncle said. "It islike enough that some young brave, anxious to distinguish himself, maycrawl up with the intention of stampeding the ponies, though I don'tthink he would attempt it till he thought most of us were asleep. Still,there is no saying."
The watch was undisturbed, and soon it became so dark that objects couldno longer be seen fifty yards away. Tom began to feel nervous. Everytuft of ground, every little bush seemed to him to take the form of acrawling Indian, and he felt a great sense of relief when he saw thefigures round the fire rise and walk towards him.
"I am glad you have come, uncle," he said frankly; "I began to feel veryuncomfortable several times. It seemed to me that some of the bushesmoved."
"That is just what I thought you would be feeling, Tom. But it was justas well that your first watch should be a short one, without much chanceof an ambush being on foot; and I knew that if your eyes deceived you,Hunting Dog was there. Next time you won't feel so nervous; that sort ofthing soon passes off."
A fresh armful of brushwood had been thrown on to the fire before themen left it, and long after they had ridden away they could see theflames mounting high. After riding north for a quarter of an hour theychanged their route and passed round, leaving the fire half a mile ontheir right. The light of the stars was quite sufficient for them totravel by, and after four hours' journey the chief, who was ridingahead, halted.
"Not far from canyon now. Listen."
A very faint murmur came to their ears, so faint that had not hisattention been drawn to it Tom would not have noticed it at all.
"What is that noise?" he asked.
"That is the stream down in the canyon," his
uncle replied. "How far arewe from the head, chief?"
"Not far, must ride slow."
They proceeded at a walk, changing their course a little towards theeast. Hunting Dog went on ahead, and in a quarter of an hour they heardhis signal, the cry of an owl. It arose from a point still further east,and quickening their pace, in a few minutes they came up to the youngIndian, who was standing by his horse at the edge of a steep descent, atthe bottom of which Tom could see a stream of water.
"It looks very steep," Jerry said.
"Steep, but smooth," the Indian replied. "Came up here with horses thismorning."
All dismounted, and Tom went up to his horse's head. "That won't do,Tom. Never go before a horse down a steep place where you can't see yourway, always drive it before you."
There was some trouble in getting the horses to commence the descent,but after a short time the chief's pony set the example; and tucking itshind legs under it until it sat down on its haunches, began to slidedown, while the other animals, after staring into the darkness with earslaid back and snorting with fear, were half-persuaded, half-forced tofollow its example, and the men went down after them. The descent wasnot so steep as in the darkness it looked, and the depth was not overfifty feet. As soon as they reached the bottom they mounted again, andthe chief leading the way, they rode down the canyon. At first they wereable to proceed at a fair pace, but as the sides grew higher and moreprecipitous the darkness became more dense, and they were obliged topick their way with great caution among the boulders that strewed thebottom of the ravine. Several times they had to dismount in order to getthe horses over heavy falls, and it was four hours from the time theyentered the canyon before they approached its mouth. When they enteredthe little wood where they had first left the horses, the chief said,"Make fire, cook food here. Leaping Horse and Hunting Dog go on andscout, maybe 'Rappahoes left watch in valley."
"Very well, chief. It is seven hours since we started; I think thehorses will be all the better for an hour's rest, and I am sure we shallbe the better of a feed. Besides, when we are once out of this hole wemay have to travel fast."
"You don't think it likely that the 'Rappahoes are on the look-out forus at the entrance?" Tom asked, as the Indians moved away.
"Not likely at all, Tom. Still, as they might reckon that if we gavetheir searching party the slip we must come down again by the river orthrough this canyon, they may have left a party or sent down word to someof their villages to keep a watch in the valley."
It was more than an hour before the Indians returned.
"No 'Rappahoes in valley," the chief said, as he seated himself by thefire and began without loss of time to eat the meat they had cooked inreadiness. "Better be going soon, must cross river and get on beforelight come; have seen fires, Indian villages up on hillsides. When lightcomes and 'Rappahoes find trail they come back quick."
"You may bet your boots they will, chief," Sam Hicks said. "They will bea pretty mad crowd when they make out that we have come down again bythe canyon. As soon as they see which way we have headed some of themwill make a bee-line down here in hopes of cutting us off at the mouth,but by the time they are here we shall be half-way up the hill."
The Indian made no reply, but he and Hunting Dog ate their mealsteadily, and as soon as they had finished rose to their feet, andsaying "Time to go" went out to fetch in their horses.
"I don't think the chief is as confident we shall get off without afight as Sam seemed to be," Tom said to his uncle.
"There is never any saying what an Indian thinks, Tom, even when he hasfallen into white man's ways, as Leaping Horse has done. It may be thatthe sight of the fires he made out on the opposite hills has troubledhim. It will be light before we are far up on the side, and we may bemade out by some of the varmint there. They are always restless. Go intoan Indian village when you will, you will find some of them smoking bythe fire. Their ears are so 'tarnal sharp, they can hear sounds thatwould never catch our ears, not at half the distance. The clink of acouple of pans together, or a stone set rolling by a horse's tread, wereit ever so faint, would bring them on their feet directly, especiallynow they know that a war-party is out."
The march was again resumed. Passing through the narrowest part of thecanyon they issued out into the valley and made for the river. Some timewas lost here, for Sam Hicks, who was leading one of the pack-ponies,was carried down several hundred yards by the stream, and withdifficulty effected his landing. The horse's load shifted and had to berepacked. As soon as this was done they followed the river down for twomiles till they came upon a stream running into it from the southwest.
"You think this is the stream we have to follow, chief?"
"Must be him, no other came in on this side for a long way; right linefor peak."
They turned up by the stream, and after riding a mile found themselvesentering a mountain gorge. It was not a canyon but a steep, narrowvalley. They picked their way with the greatest caution for some time,then the two Indians stopped simultaneously.
"What is the matter, chief?" Harry, who was riding next to them,whispered.
"Smell smoke."
Harry sniffed the air.
"I can't say I smell it, chief, but if you say you do that settles it.Where do you think it comes from?"
"Up valley; wind light, but comes that way. Indian village up here."
"Well, so much the worse for the Indian village if it interferes withus," Harry said grimly; "there is one thing certain, we have got to gothrough. Probably most of the braves are away up in the hills."
They now went on with redoubled caution. The chief gave his bridle toHunting Dog and went forward on foot. A hundred yards farther the valleymade a sharp turn and then widened out considerably, and the glow of afire was visible among some trees standing on the hillside some fiftyfeet above the level of the stream. The chief looked at the sky; a faintlight was breaking, and without pausing he continued to lead the way.They passed under the Indian encampment, and had got a few yards higherwhen the pony Sam Hicks was leading gave a sharp neigh.
"Darn its old ears!" Tom heard Jerry growl. Harry at the same moment puthis horse to a trot, and the others following clattered up the valley,knowing that concealment was no longer of any use; indeed, an answeringneigh from above and hurried shouts were heard, followed a momentafterwards by a loud yell as an Indian running through the trees caughtsight of them in the moonlight.
"We are in for it now, Tom; that is, if there are men enough in thevillage to attack us."
The horses broke into a gallop. They had gone but fifty yards when arifle-shot was heard from behind, and Tom felt a shock as the ballstruck his saddle. Almost immediately another shot was fired abreast ofhim, and an Indian yell rose loudly behind them. A moment later LeapingHorse with a shout of triumph bounded down the rocks and leapt on to hishorse. Four or five more shots were fired from behind, but none of themwere hit. A hundred yards farther they were in shelter of a belt oftrees that extended down to the stream. As they entered it Harry lookedback. He could now see the hills beyond the main valley.
"Look, chief!" he exclaimed. "The varmint up there are signalling faroff above the timber-line."
Bright tongues of fire could be seen, two close together and one a shortdistance to the left.
"What does that mean, uncle?" Tom asked, as the chief gave a shortexclamation of surprise and anger.
"It means, lad, that the red-skins have been sharper than we gave themcredit for. When their spies brought them news that we had started theymust have come down to the fire and followed our trail at once withtorches, before we had got above an hour or two away. No doubt it wasslow work, but they must have found where we changed our course, andmade out that we were making for the head of the canyon. I expect most ofthem lost no time in following the trail farther, but rode straight forthe head of the canyon, and like enough they weren't half an hour behindus when we came out. The others rode to the edge of the plateau and setthose fires alight."
"But w
hat do they mean, uncle?"
"They are a warning to all the villages that we have headed back, youmay be sure of that, though I can't say what the message is, for everytribe has its own signals, but it will have set them on the watch up anddown the valley; and like enough the signal has been repeated somewhereat a point where it can be seen straight down the Big Wind Valley. Theshooting will tell them all which way we are making, and if the'Rappahoes have come out of the canyon, as I reckon they have, they needlose no more time in looking for our trail. I reckon in half an hour weshall have a hundred or so of the varmint after us. I only hope there areno more villages upon this line. I don't so much care about the fellowswho are following us, we are sure to find some place where we can make astand, but it would be awkward if we find our way barred."
"But if there is no one in front, uncle, I should think we might be ableto keep ahead. Our horses are as good as they are likely to have."
"You and Jerry might be able to, Tom, for you have got hold of twofirst-rate ponies; but the Indians' are nothing out of the way, and ourponies ain't in it with you; besides, they and the pack-horses have allbeen doing hard work for the last week with none too much food, and manyof the 'Rappahoes will be on fresh horses. I expect we have got somevery tall climbing to do before we get up to the pass, and we have gotto do our fighting before we get there."
The ground rose steeply, and was encumbered by fallen stones andboulders, and it was not long before the pack-horses began to show signsof distress, while those ridden by Harry and his two comrades weredrawing their breath in short gasps. After emerging from the trees theravine had run in almost a straight line for more than half a mile, andjust as they reached the end of this stretch a yell was heard down thevalley. Looking back they saw eight or ten mounted Indians emerging fromthe wood at the lower end.
"That is a signal," Harry exclaimed, as four rifles were fired in quicksuccession. "Well, we have got a bit of a start of them, and they won'tventure to attack us until some more come up. We had better take it abit quietly, chief, or our horses will give out. I expect we sha'n't belong before we come upon a place where we can make a stand."
The Seneca looked round at the horses. "You, Sam, Ben and pack-horses goon till you get to place where can fight. We four wait here; got goodhorses, and can ride on. We stop them here for a bit."
"That would be best. I don't like being out of it, but we will do ourshare presently."
No more words were necessary. Harry and his two mates rode on at aslower pace than before, while the two Indians, Jerry, and Tomdismounted, left their horses beyond the turn, and then coming back tookup their positions behind four large boulders. The Indians had noticedtheir returning figures, for they suddenly drew up their horses andgathered together in consultation.
"Draw your bullet, Tom," Jerry said, "and drop in half a charge morepowder; I reckon that piece of yours will send a bullet among them withthe help of a good charge. Allow a bit above that top notch for extra,elevation. It's a good big mark, and you ought to be able to plump abullet among them."
Tom followed the instructions, and then resting the barrel on the top ofthe boulder took a steady aim and fired. There was a sudden stir amongthe group of Indians. A horse reared high in the air, almost unseatingits rider, and then they all rode off at the top of their speed, andhalted two or three hundred yards lower down the valley. The Senecasuttered a grunt of approval.
"That was a good shot, Tom, though I wish you had hit one of thered-skins instead of his critter. Still, it will give them a goodlesson, and make them mighty keerful. They won't care about showingtheir ugly heads within range of a piece that will carry five hundredyards."
A quarter of an hour passed without any movement on the part of theIndians. Then a large party of horsemen appeared from the trees below,and were greeted by them with a yell of satisfaction.
"There must be well-nigh fifty of them," Jerry said. "I reckon it's theparty that came down the hill. They must have picked up a good manyothers by the way. Now the fun is going to begin."
After five minutes' consultation some twenty of the Indians dismounted,and dividing into two parties ascended the slopes of the valley andbegan to move forward, taking advantage of every stone and bush, so thatit was but occasionally that a glimpse of one of their bodies wasobtained.
"They are going to skirmish up to us," Jerry said, "till they are nearenough to make it hot for us if we show a head above the rocks to fire.As soon as they can do that, the others will charge. I think they arenot more than four hundred yards off now, Tom. That is within yourrange, so you may as well begin to show them that we are awake. If youcan bring one down it will check their pace."
Tom had just noticed three Indians run behind a clump of bushes, and henow levelled his rifle so that it bore on a spot a foot on one side ofit. Half a minute later an Indian appeared at the bush and began to runforward. Tom pressed the trigger. The Indian ran a few steps, and thenfell forward on his face.
"Bravo, Plumb-centre!" Jerry shouted. "We said that you would do therifle credit, Tom, and Billy the Scout could not have done betterhimself."
"Young white man make great hunter," the chief remarked approvingly."Got good eye and steady hand."
The lesson had its effect. The Indian advance was no longer rapid, butwas conducted with the greatest caution, and it was only occasionallythat a glimpse could be caught of a dusky figure passing from rock torock. When they came within three hundred yards the two Indians andJerry also opened fire. One fell to a shot from the chief, but neitherof the others hit their marks. Tom indeed did not fire again, themovements of the Indians being so rapid that they were gone before hecould bring his sight to bear upon any of them.
"Go now," the chief said. "'Rappahoes fire soon; run quick."
It was but a few yards to shelter. As they dashed across the interveningspace two or three Indian rifles rang out, but the rest of theassailants had been too much occupied in sheltering themselves andlooking for the next spot to make for, to keep an eye upon thedefenders, and the hastily-fired shots all missed. A moment later theparty mounted their horses and rode up the ravine, the yells of theIndians ringing in their ears.
"A Moment Later The Indian Fell Forward On His Face."]
