In the Heart of the Rockies: A Story of Adventure in Colorado

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER V

  IN DANGER

  There were no bushes that would serve their purpose near the lake; theytherefore formed their camp on the leeward side of a large boulder. Thegreatest care was observed in gathering the fuel, and it burned with aclear flame without giving out the slightest smoke.

  "Dead wood dries like tinder in this here air," the miner said. "Incourse, if there wur any red-skins within two or three miles on thesehills they would make out the camp, still that ain't likely; but anyloafing Indian who chanced to be hunting ten or even fifteen miles awaywould see smoke if there was any, and when a red-skin sees smoke, if hecan't account for it, he is darned sartin to set about finding out whomade it."

  The horses fared badly, for there was nothing for them to pick up save amouthful of stunted grass here and there.

  "Plenty of grass to-morrow," the chief said in answer to a remark of Tomas to the scantiness of their feed. "Grass down by Buffalo Lake good."

  Early the next morning they mounted and rode down the hills into BigWind River valley. They did not go down to the river itself, but skirtedthe foot of the hills until they reached Buffalo Lake.

  "There," the chief said, pointing to a pile of ashes, "the fire of mywhite brother." Alighting, he and Hunting Dog searched the groundcarefully round the fire. Presently the younger Indian lightly touchedthe chief and pointed to the ground. They talked together, stillcarefully examining the ground, and moved off in a straight line somefifty yards. Then they returned.

  "Indian here," Leaping Horse said, "one, two days ago. Found fire, wentoff on trail of white men."

  "That is bad news, chief."

  "Heap bad," the Indian said gravely.

  "Perhaps he won't follow far," Tom suggested.

  The Indian made no answer. He evidently considered the remark to befoolish.

  "You don't know much of Indian nature yet, Tom," the miner said. "When ared-skin comes upon the trail of whites in what he considers hiscountry, he will follow them if it takes him weeks to do it, till hefinds out all about them, and if he passes near one of his own villageshe will tell the news, and a score of the varmint will take up the trailwith him. It's them ashes as has done it. If the chief here had stoppedwith them till they started this would not have happened, for he wouldhave seen that they swept every sign of their fire into the lake. Iwonder they did not think of it themselves. It was a dog-goned foolishtrick to leave such a mark as this. I expect they will be more keerfularterwards, but they reckoned that they had scarce got into the Indiancountry."

  "Do you think it was yesterday the red-skin was here, or the day before,chief?"

  "Leaping Horse can't say," the Indian replied. "Ground very hard, markvery small. No rain, trail keep fresh a long time. Only find marktwice." He led them to a spot where, on the light dust among the rocks,was the slight impression of a footmark.

  "That is the mark of a moccasin, sure enough," Jerry said; "but maybeone of the whites, if not all of them, have put on moccasins for thejourney. They reckoned on climbing about some, and moccasins beat bootsanyhow for work among the hills."

  "Red-skin foot," the Indian said quietly.

  "Well, if you say it is, of course it is. I should know it myself if Isaw three or four of them in a line, but as there is only one mark itbeats me."

  "How would you know, Jerry?"

  "A white man always turns out his toes, lad, an Indian walksstraight-footed. There are other differences that a red-skin would seeat once, but which are beyond me, for I have never done any trackingwork."

  The Indian without speaking led them to another point some twenty yardsaway, and pointed to another impression. This was so slight that it waswith difficulty that Tom could make out the outline.

  "Yes, that settles it," Jerry said. "You see, lad, when there was onlyone mark I could not tell whether it was turned out or not, for thatwould depend on the direction the man was walking in. This one is justin a line with the other, and so the foot must have been set downstraight. Had it been turned out a bit, the line, carried straightthrough the first footprint, would have gone five or six yards away tothe right."

  It took Tom two or three minutes to reason this out to himself, but atlast he understood the drift of what his companion said. As the linethrough one toe and heel passed along the centre of the other, the footmust each time have been put down in a straight line, while if thefootprints had been made by a person who turned out his toes they wouldnever point straight towards those farther on.

  "Well, what is your advice, chief?" Jerry asked.

  "Must camp and eat," the Indian replied, "horses gone far enough. Nofear here, red-skin gone on trail."

  "Do you think there have been more than one, chief?"

  "Not know," Leaping Horse said; "find out by and by."

  Tom now noticed that Hunting Dog had disappeared.

  "Where shall we make the fire?"

  The chief pointed to the ashes.

  "That's it," Jerry said. "If any red-skin came along you see, Tom, therewould be nothing to tell them that more than one party had been here."

  The chief this time undertook the collection of fuel himself, and abright fire was presently burning. Two hours later Hunting Dog cameback. He talked for some time earnestly with the chief, and taking outtwo leaves from his wampum bag opened them and showed him two tiny heapsof black dust. Jerry asked no questions until the conversation was done,and then while Hunting Dog cut off a large chunk of deer's flesh, andplacing it in the hot ashes sat himself quietly down to wait until itwas cooked, he said:

  "Well, chief, what is the news?"

  "The Indian had a horse, Hunting Dog came upon the spot where he hadleft it a hundred yards away. When he saw ashes, he came to look atthem. Afterwards he followed the trail quite plain on the soft ground athead of lake. Over there," and he pointed to the foot of the hills,"Indian stopped and fired twice."

  "How on earth did he know that, chief?"

  The chief pointed to the two leaves. The scout examined the powder."Wads," he said. "They are leather wads, Tom, shrivelled and burnt. Whatdid he fire at, chief?"

  "Signal. Half a mile farther three other mounted redskins joined him.They stopped and had heap talk. Then one rode away into hills, theothers went on at gallop on trail."

  "That is all bad, chief. The fellow who went up the hills no doubt madefor a village?"

  The chief nodded.

  "The only comfort is that Harry has got a good start of them. It was aweek from the time you left them before we met you, that is three daysago, so that if the red-skins took up the trail yesterday, Harry has tendays' start of them."

  Leaping Horse shook his head. "Long start if travel fast, little startif travel slow."

  "I see what you mean. If they pushed steadily on up the valley, theyhave gone a good distance, but if they stopped to catch beaver orprospect for gold they may not have got far away. Hadn't we better bepushing on, chief?"

  "No good, horses make three days' journey; rest well to-day, travelright on to-morrow. If go farther to-night, little good to-morrow. Goodcamp here, all rest."

  "Well, no doubt you are right, chief, but it worries one to think thatwhile we are sitting here those 'tarnal red-skins may be attacking ourfriends. My only hope is that Harry, who has done a lot of Indianfighting, will hide his trail as much as possible as he goes on, andthat they will have a lot of trouble in finding it."

  The chief nodded. "My white brother, Harry, knows Indian ways. He didnot think he had come to Indian country here or he would not have lefthis ashes. But beyond this he will be sure to hide his trail, and the'Rappahoes will have to follow slow."

  "You think they are 'Rappahoes, chief?"

  "Yes, this 'Rappahoe country. The Shoshones are further north, and arefriendly; the Bannacks and Nez Perces are in northwest, near SnakeRiver; and the Sioux more on the north and east, on other side of greatmountains. 'Rappahoes here."

  "Waal," Jerry said wrathfully, "onless they catch Harry asleep, some ofthe da
rned skunks will be rubbed out afore they get his scalp. It is agood country for hiding trail. There are many streams coming down fromthe hills into the Big Wind, and they can turn up or down any of them asthey please, and land on rocky ground too, so it would be no easy matterto track them. By the lay of the country there does not seem much chanceof gold anywheres about here, and, as I reckon, they will be thinkingmore of that than of beaver skins, so I think they would push straighton."

  "Harry said he should get out of Big Wind River valley quick," LeapingHorse said. "Too many Indians there. Get into mountains other side. Goup Riviere de Noir, then over big mountains into Sierra Shoshone, andthen down Buffalo through Jackson's Hole, and then strike Snake River. Itold him heap bad Indians in Jackson's Hole, Bannacks, and Nez Perces.He said not go down into valley, keep on foot-hills. I told him, too badjourney, but he and other pale-faces thought could do it, and might findmuch gold. No good Leaping Horse talk."

  "This is a dog-goned bad business I have brought you into, Tom. Ireckoned we should not get out without troubles, but I did notcalkerlate on our getting into them so soon."

  "You did not bring me here, Jerry, so you need not blame yourself forthat. It was I brought you into it, for you did not make up your mind tocome till I had settled to go with Leaping Horse."

  "I reckon I should have come anyhow," Jerry grumbled. "Directly thechief said where Harry and the others had gone my mind was set onjoining them. It was a new country, and there wur no saying what theymight strike, and though I ain't a regular Indian-fighter, leaving themalone when they leave me alone, I can't say as I am averse to ascrimmage with them if the odds are anyways equal."

  "It is a wonderful country," Tom said, looking at the almostperpendicular cliffs across the valley, with their regular colouredmarkings, their deep fissures, crags, and pinnacles, "and worth coming along way to see."

  "I don't say as it ain't curous, but I have seen the like down on theColorado, and I don't care if I never see no more of it if we carry ourscalps safe out of this. I don't say as I object to hills if they arecovered with forest, for there is safe to be plenty of game there, andthe wood comes in handy for timbering, but this kind of country thatlooks as if some chaps with paint-pots had been making lines all overit, ain't to my taste noway. Here, lad; I never travel without hooks andlines; you can get a breakfast and dinner many a day when a gun wouldbring down on you a score of red varmints. I expect you will find fishin the lake. Many of these mountain lakes just swarm with them. You hadbetter look about and catch a few bugs, there ain't no better bait.Those jumping bugs are as good as any," and he pointed to a grasshopper,somewhat to Tom's relief, for the lad had just been wondering where heshould look for bugs, not having seen one since he landed in the States.

  There were two lines and hooks in the miner's outfit, and Tom andHunting Dog, after catching some grasshoppers, went down to the lake,while Jerry and the chief had a long and earnest conversation together.The baited hooks were scarcely thrown into the water when they wereseized, and in a quarter of an hour ten fine lake trout were lying onthe bank. Tom was much delighted. He had fished from boats, but hadnever met with much success, and his pleasure at landing five fishaveraging four or five pounds apiece was great. As it was evidentlyuseless to catch more, they wound up their lines, and Hunting Dog splitthe fish open and laid them down on the rock, which was so hot that Tomcould scarce bear his hand on it.

  Seeing the elder men engaged in talk Tom did not return to them, butendeavoured to keep up a conversation with the young Indian, whom hefound to be willing enough to talk now they were alone, and who knewmuch more English than he had given him credit for. As soon as the sunset the fire was extinguished, and they lay down to sleep shortlyafterwards. An hour before daylight they were in the saddle. Hunting Dogrode ahead on the line he had followed the day before. As soon as itbecame light Tom kept his eyes fixed upon the ground, but it was onlynow and then, when the Indian pointed to the print of a horse's hoof inthe sand between the rocks, that he could make them out. The two Indiansfollowed the track, however, without the slightest difficulty, thehorses going at a hand gallop.

  "They don't look to me like horses' footprints," Tom said to Jerry whenthey had passed a spot where the marks were unusually clear.

  "I reckon you have never seen the track of an unshod horse before, Tom.With a shod horse you see nothing but the mark of the shoe, here you getthe print of the whole hoof. Harry has been careful enough here, and hastaken the shoes off his ponies, for among all the marks, we have notseen any made by a shod horse. The Indians never shoe theirs, and themark of an iron is enough to tell the first red-skin who passes that awhite man has gone along there. The chief and I took off the shoes ofthe four horses yesterday afternoon when you were fishing. We put themand the nails by to use when we get out of this dog-goned country."

  After riding for two hours they came to the bank of a stream. The chiefheld up his hand for them to stop, while he dismounted and examined thefoot-marks. Then he mounted again and rode across the stream, which wassome ten yards wide and from two to three feet deep. He went on a shortdistance beyond it, leapt from his saddle, threw the reins on thehorse's neck, and returned to the bank on foot. He went a short distanceup the stream and then as much down, stooping low and examining everyinch of the ground. Then he stood up and told the others to cross.

  "Leaping Horse Mounted, And Rode Across The Stream"]

  "Leave your horses by mine," he said as they joined him. "Trail verybad, all rock." He spoke to the young Indian, who, on dismounting, atonce went forward, quartering the ground like a spaniel in search ofgame, while the chief as carefully searched along the bank.

  "Best leave them to themselves, Tom; they know what they are doing."

  "They are hunting for the trail, Jerry, I suppose?"

  "Ay, lad. Harry struck on a good place when he crossed where he did, foryou see the rock here is as smooth as the top of a table, and the windhas swept it as clean of dust as if it had been done by an easternwoman's broom. If the horses had been shod there would have beenscratches on the rock that would have been enough for the dullest Indianto follow, but an unshod horse leaves no mark on ground like this. Iexpect the red-skins who followed them were just as much puzzled as thechief is. There ain't no saying whether they crossed and went straighton, or whether they never crossed at all or kept in the stream either upor down."

  It was half an hour before the two Indians had concluded theirexamination of the ground.

  "Well, chief, what do you make of it?" Jerry asked when they had spokena few words together.

  "Hunting Dog has good eyes," the chief said. "The white men wentforward, the red men could not find the trail, and thought that they hadkept in the river, so they went up to search for them. Come, let us goforward."

  The miner and Tom mounted their horses, but the Indians led theirsforward some three hundred yards. Then Hunting Dog pointed down, and thechief stooped low and examined the spot.

  "What is it, chief?" Jerry asked; and he and Tom both got off and kneltdown. They could see nothing whatever.

  "That is it," Leaping Horse said, and pointed to a piece of rockprojecting half an inch above the flat.

  "I am darned if I can see anything."

  "There is a tiny hair there," Tom said, putting his face within a fewinches of the ground. "It might be a cat's hair; it is about the length,but much thicker. It is brown."

  "Good!" the chief said, putting his hand on Tom's shoulder. "Now let usride." He leapt into his saddle, the others following his example, andthey went on at the same pace as before.

  "Well, chief," the miner said, "what does that hair tell you about it,for I can't make neither head nor tail of it?"

  "The white men killed a deer on their way up here, and they cut up thehide and made shoes for horses, so that they should leave no tracks. Oneof the horses trod on a little rock and a hair came out of the hide."

  "That may be it, chief," the miner said, after thinking the matter over,"though
it ain't much of a thing to go by."

  "Good enough," Leaping Horse said. "We know now the line they weretaking. When we get to soft ground see trail plainer."

  "What will the others do when they cannot find the trail anywhere alongthe bank?"

  "Ride straight on," the chief said. "Search banks of next river, look atmouths of valleys to make sure white men have not gone up there, meetmore of tribe, search everywhere closely, find trail at last."

  "Well, that ought to give Harry a good start, anyhow."

  "Not know how long gone on," the chief said gravely. "No rainfall. Six,eight--perhaps only two days' start."

  "But if they always hide their trail as well as they did here I don'tsee how the Indians can find them at all--especially as they don't knowwhere they are making for, as we do."

  "Find camp. Men on foot may hide traces, but with horses sure to find."

  "That is so," Jerry agreed, shaking his head. "An Indian can see withhalf an eye where the grass has been cropped or the leaves stripped offthe bushes. Yes, I am afraid that is so. There ain't no hiding a campfrom Indian eyes where horses have been about. It is sure to be near astream. Shall you look for them, chief?"

  The Indian shook his head. "Lose time," he said. "We go straight toRiviere de Noir."

  "You don't think, then, they are likely to turn off before that?"

  "Leaping Horse thinks not. They know Indian about here. Perhaps foundIndian trail near first camp. Know, anyhow, many Indians. Think pushstraight on."

  "That is the likeliest. Anyhow, by keeping on we must get nearer tothem. The worst danger seems to me that we may overtake the red-skinswho are hunting them."

  The chief nodded.

  "It is an all-fired fix, Tom," Jerry went on. "If we go slow we may notbe in time to help Harry and the others to save their scalps; if we gofast we may come on these 'tarnal red-skins, and have mighty hard workin keeping our own ha'r on."

  "I feel sure that the chief will find traces of them in time to preventour running into them, Jerry. Look how good their eyes are. Why, I mighthave searched all my life without noticing a single hair on a rock."

  After riding some fifteen miles beyond the stream, and crossing twosimilar though smaller rivulets, the chief, after a few words withJerry, turned off to the left and followed the foot of the hills. At themouth of a narrow valley he stopped, examined the ground carefully, andthen led the way up it, carrying his rifle in readiness across the peakof the saddle. The valley opened when they had passed its mouth, and athick grove of trees grew along the bottom. As soon as they were beneaththeir shelter they dismounted.

  The horses at once began to crop the grass. Hunting Dog went forwardthrough the trees, rifle in hand.

  "Shall I take the bits out of the horses' mouths, Jerry?" Tom asked.

  "Not till the young Indian returns. It is not likely there is a red-skinvillage up there, for we should have seen a trail down below if therehad been. Still there may be a hut or two, and we can do nothing till hecomes back."

  It was half an hour before Hunting Dog came through the trees again. Heshook his head, and without a word loosened the girths of his horse andtook off the bridle.

  "He has seen no signs of them, so we can light a fire and get somethingto eat. I am beginning to feel I want something badly."

  Thus reminded, Tom felt at once that he was desperately hungry. They hadbefore starting taken a few mouthfuls of meat that had been cooked theday before and purposely left over, but it was now three o'clock in theafternoon, and he felt ravenous. The Indians quickly collected driedwood, and four of the fish were soon frizzling on hot ashes, while thekettle, hung in the flame, was beginning to sing.

  "We have done nigh forty miles, Tom, and the horses must have a coupleof hours' rest. We will push on as fast as we can before dark, and thenwait until the moon rises; it will be up by ten. This ain't a country toride over in the dark. We will hide up before morning, and not go onagain till next night. Of course we shall not go so fast as by day, butwe sha'n't have any risk of being ambushed. The chief reckons from whathe has heard that the Indian villages are thick along that part of thevalley, and that it will never do to travel by day."

  "Then you have given up all hopes of finding Harry's tracks?"

  "It would be just wasting our time to look for them. We will push onsharp till we are sure we are ahead of them. We may light upon them bychance, but there can be no searching for them with these red varmintround us. It would be just chucking away our lives without a chance ofdoing any good. I expect Harry and his party are travelling at nighttoo; but they won't travel as fast as we do, not by a sight. They havegot pack-ponies with them, and they are likely to lay off a day or twoif they come upon a good place for hiding."

  They travelled but a few miles after their halt, for the Indiansdeclared they could make out smoke rising in two or three places ahead;and although neither Jerry nor Tom could distinguish it, they knew thatthe Indians' sight was much keener than their own in a matter of thiskind. They therefore halted again behind a mass of rocks that had fallendown the mountain-side. Hunting Dog lay down among the highest of theboulders to keep watch, and the horses were hobbled to prevent theirstraying. The miner and the chief lit their pipes, and Tom lay down onhis back for a sleep. A short time before it became dusk the call of adeer was heard.

  "There are wapiti, chief. We can't take a shot at them; but it don'tmatter, we have meat enough for a week."

  The chief had already risen to his feet, rifle in hand.

  "It is a signal from Hunting Dog," he said, "he has seen something inthe valley. My white brother had better get the horses together," and hemade his way up the rocks. In a minute or two he called out that thehorses might be left to feed, and presently came leisurely down to them."Seen Indians--ten 'Rappahoes."

  "Which way were they going?"

  "Riding from Big Wind River across valley. Been away hunting among hillsover there. Have got meat packed on horses, ride slow. Not have heardabout white men's trail. Going to village, where we saw smoke."

  Tom was fast asleep when Jerry roused him, and told him that the moonwas rising, and that it was time to be off.

  They started at a walk, the chief leading; Jerry followed him, while Tomrode between him and Hunting Dog, who brought up the rear. Tom had beenwarned that on no account was he to speak aloud. "If you have anythingyou want to say, and feel that you must say it or bust," Jerry remarked,"just come up alongside of me and whisper it. Keep your eyes open andyour rifle handy, we might come upon a party any minute. They might begoing back to their village after following Harry's trail as long asthey could track it, or it might be a messenger coming back to fetch upfood, or those fellows Hunting Dog made out going on to join those infront. Anyhow we have got to travel as quiet as if there was ears allround us."

  As they passed the clumps of trees where the Indian villages stood theycould see the reflection of the fires on the foliage, and heard thefrequent barking of dogs and an occasional shout. A quarter of a milefarther the chief halted and spoke to Hunting Dog, who at oncedismounted and glided away towards the village.

  "Gone to see how many men there," the chief said in explanation toJerry. "Too much laugh, no good."

  "He means the men must have gone off again, Tom. If there were men inthe camp the boys would not be making a noise."

  They were but a few hundred yards from the trees, and in a very shorttime the Indian returned.

  "Men are gone," he said; "only squaws and boys there."

  "How many lodges are there?" the chief asked. Hunting Dog held up bothhands with extended fingers, and then one finger only.

  "Eleven of them," Jerry said. "I expect they are all small villages, andthey move their lodges across into the forests when winter comes on."

  As soon as they had mounted, the chief put his horse into a canter, andat this pace they went forward for some hours, breaking into a walkoccasionally for a few minutes.

  "I thought you said we should not go beyond a walk
to-night, Jerry," Tomremarked on the first of these occasions.

  "That is what we kinder agreed, lad; but you may be sure the chief hassome good reason for going on faster. I dunno what it is, and I ain'tgoing to ask. Red-skins hate being questioned. If he wants to tell us hewill tell us without being asked."

  A faint light was stealing over the sky when the chief halted his horseand sat listening. No sound, however, broke the stillness of the night.

  "Did you think you heard anything, chief?"

  "Leaping Horse heard nothing, but he stopped to listen. What does mywhite brother think of the 'Rappahoes having gone on directly theyreturned from the chase?"

  "I thought that when they got the news that some white men had gonethrough, they might have started to join those following up the trail.Isn't that what you think, chief?"

  "Only three white men, plenty Indians on trail; no hurry to follow;might have had feast after hunt and gone on in morning."

  "So they might. You think the whites have been tracked, and are to beattacked this morning?"

  "Perhaps attacked yesterday. Perhaps have got strong place, 'Rappahoeswant more help to take it. White rifle shoot straight, perhaps want moremen to starve them out."

  They again went forward, at a gallop now. Jerry did not think much ofthe chief's idea. It seemed to him natural that the Indians should wantto join in the hunt for scalps, and to get a share of the white men'sgoods, though he admitted that it was strange they should have gone onwithout taking a meal. Presently the chief reined in his horse again,and sat with head bent forward. Tom heard an angry grunt from betweenHunting Dog's teeth. Listening intently also, he was conscious of afaint, far-away sound.

  "You hear?" the chief said to Jerry.

  "I heard something; but it might be anything. A waterfall in the hillsmiles away, that is what it sounds like."

  "Guns," the chief said laconically.

  "Do you think so?" Jerry said doubtfully. "There don't seem to meanything of guns in it. It is just a sort of murmur that keeps on andon."

  "It is the mountains speaking back again," the chief said, waving hishand. "Hills everywhere. They say to each other, the red men who live inour bosoms are attacking the pale-face strangers."

  "What do you think, Hunting Dog?" Tom whispered to the Indian.

  "Gun-shot," he replied, in a tone of absolute conviction.

  "Waal, chief, I will not gainsay your opinion," Jerry said. "How far doyou think it is off?"

  "The horses will take us there in two hours," the chief replied.

  "Then we can put it at twenty miles at least. Let us be going; whateverthe sound is, we shall know more about it before we have gone muchfarther."

  "Not too fast," Leaping Horse said as the miner was urging his horseforward. "Maybe have to fight, maybe have to run. No good tire horse toomuch."

  It was more than an hour before Tom could hear any distinct change inthe character of the sound, but at last he was able to notice that,though seemingly continuous, the sound really pulsated; sometimes italmost died away, then suddenly swelled out again, and there wereseveral vibrations close together. Jerry, more accustomed to the soundof firearms in the mountains, had before this come round to the chief'sopinion.

  "It is guns, sure enough, Tom; the chief has made no mistake about it.Waal, there is one comfort, they ain't been surprised. They are making agood fight of it, and we may be there in time to take a hand in thegame."

  "Shall we ride straight on and join them?"

  "I reckon not, lad. We must wait until we see what sort of place Harryis in, and how we can best help him, before we fix on any scheme."

  The sound became louder and clearer. The echo was still continuous, butthe sound of the shots could be distinctly heard.

  "It is over there, to the right," Jerry said. "They must have crossedthe Big Wind River."

  "And gone up the De Noir valley," the chief said. "We ought to be closeto it now."

  "Yes, I reckon it can't be far off, by what you told me about thedistance."

  "Better cross Big Wind at once. They no see us now."

  "I agree with you, chief; it would not do for them to get sight of us.If they did our case would be worse than Harry's. I expect he has gotstrongly posted, or he would have been wiped out long ago; that is whatwould happen to us if they were to make us out and spy our numbers aforewe get to some place where we and Harry's outfit can help each other."

  They rode rapidly down to the river. With the exception of a few yardsin the middle, where the horses had to swim, the depth was not great,and they were soon on the other side. They rode to the foot of thehills, and then kept along it. The sound of firing became louder andlouder, and Tom felt his heart beat quickly at the thought that he mightsoon be engaged in a desperate fight with the Indians, and that with theodds greatly against his party.

  Presently the hills fell sharply away, and they were at the entrance ofthe valley of the Riviere de Noir, which is the principal arm of the BigWind River at this point. The firing had very much died out during thelast few minutes, and only an occasional shot was heard.

  "They have beat off the attack so far," Jerry said to him encouragingly."Now we have got to lie low a bit, while the chief sees how thingsstand."

  Leaping Horse dismounted at the mouth of a narrow canyon running up intothe cliff beside them. A little stream trickled down its centre.

  "Could not have been better," Jerry said. "Here is a place we four couldhold against a crowd of red-skins for hours. There is water anyway, andwhere there is water there is mostly a little feed for horses. I willtake your horse, chief, and Tom will take Hunting Dog's, if so be youmean him to go with you.

  "Don't you worry yourself, lad," he went on, seeing how anxious Tomlooked, as they started with the horses up the canyon. "If Harry and hisfriends have beaten off the first attack, you may bet your boots theyare safe for some time. It is clear the red-skins have drawn off, andare holding a pow-wow as to how they are to try next. They attacked, yousee, just as the day was breaking; that is their favourite hour, and Ireckon Harry must have been expecting them, and that he and his mateswere prepared."