CHAPTER XIV.
SURROUNDED BY RED-SKINS.
The large band of Indians had checked their horses some five hundredyards from the foot of the buttes as they saw the survivors of theparty in front galloping back to them, and realized that the whiteshad gained shelter. Some of the more impetuous spirits had, however,ridden on, and were some distance in advance when the rifles of thedefenders cracked out. Four of the Indians fell from their horses,three others were wounded, and these, with their companions, wheeledround and rejoined the main body, who now, at the order of their chief,fell back, and were, a few minutes later, reinforced by the band thathad followed on the footsteps of the fugitives.
"Now, boys, we can go up to the top, but first let us see how we stand.Has any gone down?"
"Yes, there are two missing," Long Tom said. "I saw two of the firstline go down as we charged them."
"John Spencer wur killed," Jim Gattling said. "He wur riding next tome."
"Boston wur the other," Broncho Harry said. "I wur riding in a linewith him behind, and saw him go back ker-plumb. I knew he wur hitthrough the head by the way he fell."
Four other men were, it was now found, wounded, and one of the womenhad been hit in the shoulder with a rifle ball.
"The Red-skins ain't no account with their rifles on horseback," LongTom said. "Let them lie down and get their piece on a log and theycan shoot pretty straight, but it's just throwing away lead to try toshoot with a rifle from a horse. I never knew more than two or threewhites who was anyway sartin with their pieces when their horses wason the move. A six-shooter's worth ten rifles on horseback. A fellowkin gallop and keep his arm straight, but when it comes to holdingout a long tube with both arms, and your pony going on the jump, itstands to reason there ain't no keeping the thing straight. If thoseRed-skins had hurried up and dismounted, and steadied their rifles ontheir saddles, I reckon they might have wiped out half of us beforewe reached them. Waal, Steve, you and the women, and best part ofthe others, may as well get up to the top; but Broncho and me, andtwo or three of the boys, will stop down here and look after thehorses. Lightning, you may as well stop down here with a kipple ofother fellows with rifles, so as just to give them a hint to keep at adistance, otherwise they will be sending their lead up while the othersare getting to the top."
But the Indians showed no signs of any intention of harassing them forthe present. They knew that the rifles in the hands of the defenderscarried farther and straighter than their own. They had suffered heavylosses already, and were in no way disposed to do anything rash. Theyknew that there was no occasion for haste, and no fear of the fugitivesattempting to make their escape. After some consultation they drewfurther off into the plain, and in a short time smoke could be seenascending at several points.
"There ain't no occasion to wait down here no longer," Long Tom said."The Injuns know well enough that they can't take this place, not atleast without losing a hundred men; and it ain't Red-skin fashion tothrow away lives, special when they know they have only got to wait todo the job without any fighting at all. So let us go up."
The path was comparatively easy for three-quarters of the way to thesummit of the buttes. It seemed that on this side either the rock hadcrumbled away in past ages so as to make a gradual slope, or else wateror wind had thrown up a bank against it. The height of the butte abovethe broad valley would be about three hundred feet, and the slope wascovered with trees and undergrowth, until it terminated abruptly at theface of a wall of rock fifty feet from the summit. At one point onlythis wall was broken by a sort of gap or cleft some three feet wide atthe bottom, and slanting as steeply as the roof of a house. The bottomwas worn almost smooth by the rains of centuries and by the feet ofcattle, and Hugh had to sling his gun behind him and use both handsto grasp the irregularities of the rock on either side to get up. Onreaching the top he found that the summit was almost flat, a couple ofhundred yards in length, and as many feet in width. It was covered withgrass, and several trees, some of considerable size, were scatteredabout over the surface.
"Well, Bill," he said as Royce came up to him, "have you found anywater?"
"Yes, there is a rock pool in the centre there by that big tree. Thereis water enough for us and the horses for maybe a week. Enough for uswithout the horses for a month or more."
"What are you going to do? Bring the horses up here?"
"We haven't settled that yet. I reckon we shall bring the best of themup anyhow."
"I suppose there is no possible place the Indians can get up except bythat gap?"
"Nary one, everywhere else the rock goes straight down to the plain.There ain't no way, except by flying, to get up here if you don't comeby this gap. Anyhow we shall bring the horses a good long way up theslope; it is a long line along the bottom there, and the Red-skinsmight crawl up in the night, and we should pretty nigh all have to keepguard. Steve says that though where we came up the ground wur smoothenough, it ain't so over the rest of the slope, but that, what with theboulders and the undergrowth and thorns, it is pretty nigh impossibleto get up through the trees anywhere else. He expects that it's beenwater washing down the earth and sand through that gap that has filledup between the boulders, and made it smooth going where we came up. Sowe will bring up the horses, and get the best of them up here, and tiethe others just below the gap. We can take them down water in our hatsif we decide to keep them, or get them up to-morrow if we like. Anyhowall we shall want will be to keep four men at watch down below them."
"I should have thought it best to bring them all up at once, Bill; whatis the use of leaving them below?"
"Waal, Hugh, there ain't grass enough to bring them all up here, andevery morning we can take them down and let them graze below. There airno fear of the Injuns coming close to drive them off, and if they triedit, the critturs would come up the path again of their own accord,except those we took from the Indians. They can get a good lot of sweetgrass under the trees down thar, and as long as they get that they cando pretty well without water. Thar, do you see thar are two or threemore lots of Indians coming down to join the others. They'll have threehundred of them down thar before long."
"It don't make much difference how many of them there are, if they darenot attack us," Hugh said.
"That's where you are wrong, Hugh," Broncho Harry, who had now joinedthem, said. "The more thar are of them the closer watch they can keepto see that none of us gets away, and the more thar are of them thebigger the party must be that comes to rescue us. You may be sure thatthey have scouts for miles and miles off, and if they get news thatthere is a party coming up, they will just leave a guard to keep ushere, and go down and fall on them."
"I didn't think of that, Harry. Yes, it will need a very strong partyto bring us off. But perhaps they will get tired and go."
"Don't you bet on that, Hugh. Ef thar air one thing an Injun never getstired of, it's waiting. Time ain't nothing to them. Them chaps can sendout parties to hunt just as if they wur in their own villages. The boyswill bring them down corn, and gather their firewood for them, and aslong as we are up here, they will stop down thar, if it was six months.They know how many of us thar are here. Lots of them must have beenup here at one time or another, and knowing the time of year, and howmuch rain has fallen lately, there ain't no doubt they can calkilatepretty well how much water there is in this pool. They will know thatwe shall keep our horses as long as we can, and they will reckon thatthree weeks at the outside will see the end of the water. As for food,of course, we are all right. We have got the horses to eat, and horseis pretty nigh as good as cow-beef. I would just as soon have one asthe other. A young broncho's a sight tenderer than an old cow any day."
Hugh now took a turn round the edge of the butte. It was, as Roycehad said, a mass of rock rising perpendicularly from the plain. It wasseparated from the other butte by a gap a hundred and fifty feet wide.It was clear that they had once formed one mass, for between them wasa rocky shoulder connecting them. This was very
steep on both sides,narrowing almost to a razor edge at the top, where it joined the butteon which they were standing. This edge was fifty feet below the top,but it rose as it retreated from it, and on the opposite side reachedup to a level with the plateau.
A fire had already been lighted on the top of the butte, and over thisthe women were cooking some of the meat they had brought from theIndian village, and in a short time the whole party except two, whowere placed on sentry to watch the movements of the Indians, gatheredround it.
"Waal, boys," Steve said when the meal was finished, "I reckon thatthar ain't no time to lose, and that I had best start to-night. Thereain't no denying that we air in a pretty tight fix here, and it won'tbe easy to get a force as can fight their way through that crowd.I reckon I shall not be able to gather over fifty cow-boys on theCanadian, and so I'll have to ride to the nearest fort and get thetroops to help. That air about two hundred miles from the Canadian.It ull take me three days to get there after I leave the ranches. Itull take four at the very least before the troops will get down there.You can't reckon less than a week. I shall be two days getting down tothe ranches, as there won't be any travelling by day. So you see if Istart to-night, you can't reckon on seeing us back afore ten days atthe earliest."
"That will be about it, Steve. I don't see as you can do without thetroops noway. Waal, we can hold out a fortnight easy. We must put thehorses on mighty short allowance of water, so as to make it last afortnight. If we find it running out quicker'n we expect, we must killoff half the animals. It don't matter about them a bit, ef you come upstrong enough to thrash the Red-skins without our help. Yes, I thinkyou had better go to-night. You are as likely to get out to-night asany night, but you'll have to look mighty sharp, Steve, for you may betyour life them Injuns will be as thick as bees round the butte."
"How do you mean to go, Steve?" Hugh asked.
"Tie the ropes together, Lightning, and get lowered down over the edge."
"I have been looking at the ridge that runs from this butte to theother," Hugh said, "and it struck me that if you were lowered down onto it you might get along on to the other butte. Of course two otherswould be lowered with you, and then you could be let down from thefarthest side of the other butte. You said nobody had ever been on it,and anyhow the Indians are not likely to be as thick over there as theywould be round this one."
"Thunder! You are right again, Lightning. I will go and have a look atit at once. It will soon be getting dark; Broncho, do you and Long Tomgo along with me. We will lie down afore we get to the edge. You maybe sure that there are plenty of sharp eyes watching all round, and ifthey was to see us standing there, and looking at that ledge of rock,they might guess what we had in our minds. While we are away, the restof you might go down and get up the ponies."
It took some time to lead all the horses up the slope. Prince and fourothers were brought up to the plateau, but it was necessary to tiestrips of blanket under their feet to enable them to get sufficientfooting to climb up through the gap.
"I shouldn't have thought that cattle could have come where horsescan't," Hugh said.
"Cattle can climb pretty nigh anywhere," the cow-boy he addressedreplied. "I have seen cattle climb places where you would have thoughtthat nothing but a goat could get to. You see their hoofs are softerthan horses, and get a better hold on rocks. But horses could get uphere easy enough if they weren't shod. They don't have a fair show withshoes on."
By the time the horses had been brought up, night had fallen. Four menwere told off as a guard; two of them took up their post half-way downthe slope; two went down to its foot. No attack was anticipated, forthe Indians would be sure that a sharp watch would be kept, and therewould be no chance whatever of their making their way up to the summitunobserved. Hugh was not with the first party on watch, and joined thecrowd round the fire.
"What time are you going to start, Steve?"
"As soon as it gets quite dark. Thar ain't no good in waiting. Theyair on watch now, and they will be on watch all night, so thar is nodifference that way, and the sooner I goes, the farther I will gitafore morning. It is settled that if I am caught to-night, Jim Gattlingwill try next; ef he goes down too, Broncho Harry will try. After thatyou can settle among yourselves."
"I will volunteer to be next," Hugh said. "Another couple of days andPrince will be ready to do anything. If I was to try I should starton his back and take my chance. The Indians cannot have many horsesas fast as he is, and if I can get through safely, they may ride ashard as they like. There won't be many who can catch me anyhow, andif they came up one at a time, I have my revolver and can hold my own.I shouldn't like to try to-night, for many of their horses are fresh,and Prince wants at least twenty-four hours before he is fit for workagain; but if you like to give up your attempt to-night, Steve, I willtry to-morrow night."
"No, no, lad, we will do as we have planned. You might do it, and youmight not. More likely you would not, for like enough you would runagin a dozen of them going out, and would get a lasso dropped over yourshoulders afore you saw or heard them. Besides, you are young, lad. Youhave got your life afore you. I am getting on, and Rosie will have Jimto look after her, so it don't make much matter along of me."
An hour later it was perfectly dark. Steve had left his hat lying onthe edge of the rock exactly above the ridge, when he had visited itwith Harry and Long Tom. Several of the ropes were knotted together;while this was being done, Steve withdrew with his daughter and JimGattling from the fire, and was absent five or six minutes. He cameback by himself.
"I am ready," he said. "Good-bye to you all! I hope as I'll see you allagin afore long." He shook hands with them all round, and then, takingup his rifle, walked away without looking round, followed by BronchoHarry and Long Tom, the latter saying to Hugh and two others, "You cometoo. We shall want you to lower the last of us down, and to hoist us upagain."
The hat was soon found. All three men took off their boots. BronchoHarry tied those of Steve together by a short piece of rope and slungthem over his shoulder, and he and Tom left their revolvers and beltsbehind them.
"Now we are ready," Harry said; "mind, Steve, as you go down you keepyour face to the rock, so that that gun of yours sha'n't strike it;you can't be too keerful, you know." A loop was placed round Steve'sshoulder under the arm. "You lie down, Hugh, with your face over theedge, then Steve can tell you if we are one side or other of the ledge.It looked plumb down from here, but it mayn't be."
Harry had, rather to Hugh's surprise, taken up his blanket as he leftthe fire, but he now saw the object; it was partly folded and laid overthe edge so as to prevent any chance of the rope touching a rock andbeing cut by it.
"Now, Tom and I will hold it out a bit beyond the face," Harry said;"and you two do the lowering away. Now, Steve."
Steve knelt down at the edge and lowered himself until the strain cameon the rope. This Broncho and Tom held out as far as they could, andthe other two steadily lowered it. It was so dark that Hugh could notsee the ridge and presently lost sight of Steve. Soon, however, heheard his voice, "About a foot more to the right." A few seconds laterthe strain on the rope ceased.
"Are you all right, Steve?" Hugh asked.
"Yes, I am astride of it; it is wider than I thought it was. Now I willmove on; you can let Broncho down as soon as you like."
The other two men were lowered, and then there was a long silence. Itwas no easy matter, Hugh knew, to crawl along the ridge, for it was byno means even. The great danger was that there might be loose pieceswhich would be dislodged and go clattering down below. When, however,ten minutes had passed without any sound being heard, the watchers feltsure that the three men must have gained the opposite summit. There wasnothing now to do but to sit down and wait. At the end of an hour anda half, Hugh, who was again leaning over listening intently, heard avoice below him, "Lower down that other rope, Hugh, we are both here."
The short rope was lowered, for the long one had been taken by them tolower Steve from th
e other butte, and in a short time Broncho and LongTom stood beside them.
"I think the old man has got safe off," Broncho Harry said. "We havestood over there listening all this time and ain't heard a sound. Thereare plenty of the varmint about. You hear that barking of prairie-dogsand hooting of owls? That's them letting each other know where theyare; they are thick everywhere, I guess, round the foot of this butte,but we didn't hear them on the other side, and I reckon there ain'tmany of them there anyhow. Steve must have got beyond them by thistime. That wur a first-rate idea of yours, Hugh; he never would havegot through if we had lowered him off here; but it wasn't no jokegetting along that ridge in the dark, I can tell you. We air allaccustomed to balance ourselves in the saddle, and so made a shift toget across; but in some places the rock wur pretty nigh as sharp as aknife."
"Do you think that there is any chance of a night attack, Broncho?"
"One never can answer for the varmint, but I don't reckon as they arelike to try it; they know they couldn't get up to the top, and all theycould hope for would be to kill some of the horses and cut off the menon watch. It wouldn't be worth risking many lives to do that; besides,it ain't a nice place to climb in the dark. They can crawl along out onthe plain without making more noise than a snake would do, but that isa different thing to climbing up among bush and rock in the dark. Theycouldn't reckon on doing it without being heard. No, Hugh, it may bethat one or two of the young bucks wanting to distinguish themselvesand thirsting for scalps, may crawl up and see if they can catch anyone napping down below there, but I reckon that is all, and that ain'tlikely to be tried to-night. They are all out there trying to makesure that no one gets away. That is their first consarn; besides, likeenough the chiefs will try in the morning to get us to surrender,and it wouldn't do for any young brave to make a venture on his ownaccount, until it is sartin that they ain't going to get us withoutfighting; still, I wouldn't say that when it comes to your turn to beon guard, Lightning, it would be altogether safe for you to put yourrifle down and take an hour's sleep."
"Well, I am not likely to try that experiment anyhow, Broncho."
"No; I didn't guess as you was. I only said as it wouldn't be safe. Idon't think Steve put enough men on guard. I am going to talk to theothers about it. I reckon we ought to divide into two guards, say tenon each watch: four down below, four up with the horses, two up here atthe top of the path. We sha'n't have much to do all day, and can sleepas much as we like. Steve is an old Injun fighter, and he knows betterthan we do what the chances air, still there ain't no good takingrisks."
"I quite agree with you, Broncho. Now that Steve has got safe away weknow we shall get help before very long; and it would be foolish torun any risk merely from want of care. I would go even farther and letfifteen men be on watch at night, and let five sleep and keep look-outduring the day."
"That would be no better, lad, that would be worse, for it is difficultto keep awake the whole night, especially if night after night passeswithout an alarm."
By this time they had reached the others, and there was much rejoicingwhen it was heard that Steve Rutherford had got safe away.
"Do you feel sure, Harry, that they might not have caught him andkilled him without any noise?" Rosie asked anxiously.
"Sartin. Steve's last words was: 'I shall keep my six-shooter in myhand, and if they riddle me with arrows, Broncho, I will fire a shotor two before I drop, don't you fear about that.' And he would do it.Besides, it ain't in Injun nature to kill an enemy without setting upa yell over it. A Red-skin's like a hen laying an egg; he has got toboast of it loud enough for all the world to hear. No; you needn't bea bit afeard, gal. Your father has got off safe, and by this time Ireckon he is ten miles away."
Harry then made the proposal that half the men should be always onguard, to which they at once agreed, and six of them, taking up theirarms, left the fire without further words, and started to take up theirpost on the slope.
"Now, Rosie, you shall give us a pan of tea and a bit of meat, and thenthe sooner we are all asleep the better. We shall want to use our eyeswhen it is our turn on watch."
At twelve o'clock they were on their feet again, and went down thehill. "Now, Harry," said Long Tom, "Lightning and you and me will goalong to the bottom; three others keep about fifty yards behind us, twoup below the horses, and two on the top here."
As they took their places, and the men they relieved returned to thesummit, Long Tom said: "Listen to the calls, Lightning; the Red-skinshave heard us moving and are warning each other to look sharp. I reckonthey are as thick as peas all round here, for they know that if oneof us tries to make a bolt on horseback it is here he must start; butthey can hardly suppose that we are such fools as that comes to. Nowyou move away five or six yards to the right and post yourself behind arock. You have got to keep your eyes in front of you to see if you cansee anything moving in the grass; and you have got to listen for anysound over there to the right, in case any of the Red-skins should tryto crawl up through the bushes to circumvent us. I'll go to the left,and Broncho kin take the middle of the path."
Hugh took up his post and maintained a vigilant watch; he was muchmore afraid of an attempt on the part of the Indians to crawl upon the right than of an attack in front, and listened intently forthe slightest sound of moving leaves on that side, for he knew thatthe Indians would not be likely to break the smallest twig in theirprogress. In front of him he could discern the expanse of the plainstretching out; there were a few low bushes here and there, and attimes, to his straining eyes, it seemed that some of the dark massesmoved, but he knew that this might be only fancy. Hour after hourpassed. Presently Harry stole up to his side. "Day will be breaking inan hour, Hugh, keep a sharp look-out now; they will try it, if they tryit at all, just as the sky begins to lighten."
All, however, remained quiet, and Hugh felt in no slight degreerelieved as the light stole gradually up the eastern sky, and he feltthat Harry's anticipations were incorrect, and that no attack would bemade. As soon as the sun rose the sentries were relieved, and the partyon watch retired to the crest, for from there a view over the wholeof the plain was obtainable, and it was impossible for the Indians tocrawl up towards the buttes without being seen. Two hours later a partywere seen approaching from the main Indian camp; they stopped fivehundred yards away; then two Indians advanced and held up their arms toshow they had left their rifles behind them.
"I thought they would be wanting to have a talk this morning," BronchoHarry said. "I suppose two of us had better go down to meet them."
"You and Jim Gattling had better go, Broncho."
"No," Jim said; "Rason had better go with you, Broncho: he speaks alittle of their language, and I don't; it is not likely either of thechiefs speak English."
"All right!" Broncho said; "it is as well to understand what theysay, though we know well enough that nothing will come of it. Put yoursix-shooter in your pocket, Rason, they will have their tomahawks andknives hidden about them somewhere; half a dozen of the rest had bettercome down the slope. It ain't likely they will make a rush, but whenthey find we won't agree to their terms they may turn nasty."
Hugh watched the meeting from the top of the butte. It lasted about tenminutes, and then the envoys separated and returned to their respectiveparties. The result was clear enough, for when the Indian chiefsreached their followers they raised a defiant war-cry, which was takenup all over the plain.
"Just as I expected," Harry said. "The Red-skins always like to have atalk before they begin to fight, even when they know well enough thatnothing can come of it."
"What were their proposals?"
"They said that they knew we could hold out for a time, but that thewater would soon be finished, and we must give in then. We had stolenthe white women out of their camp, and had killed their young men; butif we would give up the women and surrender our arms and ammunition,they would let us depart free."
"What did you say, Broncho in return?"
"I said that we was
very comfortable up here, and that if we hadtaken the women, they had stolen them away from us. As to our arms, wethought they was more useful in our hands than they would be in theirs;but that if they would go back to their villages we would promise to dothem no farther harm until they troubled us again."
"Who were the chiefs, Harry?"
"One was the Eagle; he is a big chief. I have often heard of him. Theother was the Owl. I fancy the Eagle is the fighting chief, and the Owlthe counsellor. He is a crafty-looking beggar. The Eagle is a fine tallRed-skin, a sort of chap I shouldn't care about having a hand-to-handfight with, with knives and tomahawks. He told us it wur no use ourhoping for assistance, for that none could come to us, and unless wecould fly we could not get through his young men; and that even if wecould, our scalps would be hanging in their lodges long before we couldget down to the ranches. I said he might have our scalps if he couldtake them; but that if he did it would be off dead bodies, for as longas one of us had strength to draw trigger he would not get up on tothe butte. That was all. He knew well enough what the answer would be.He wanted to see, I fancy, how we took it, and whether we were in goodheart. It wur just a game of bluff, and neither of us wur going to showour hands."
That night Broncho Harry's party went first on watch, and were relievedat twelve o'clock. The Indians had remained quiet all the day, andHarry said to Hugh as they returned up the hill after being relieved,"I shouldn't be surprised if they try and attack before morning. In thefirst place, they have been wonderful quiet all day; and in the nextplace, I reckon that when the chief said he acknowledged that we couldhold the place, he just meant to give us the idee that he didn't meanto attack, and wur only going to starve us out. In course they will dothat afterwards, but I think they will try one rush first. I tell youwhat, Hugh, we will set to work now and get the rest of the horses tothe top. They can't pick up much where they are now, and they may aswell be out of the way if there is a fight."
The ten men soon got the horses up on to the plateau and then laydown to sleep. The morning was just breaking when the crack of a riflewas heard, and it was followed instantly by a score of others and anoutburst of fierce yelling; every man sprang to his feet and ran tothe top of the path. "Hugh, do you and two others take your place onthe edge of the rock on the right of the gap. Tom, you and Stumpy andRason, take your places on the left and kiver us as we fall back, if wehave to, as is like enough. Come on with me the rest of you."
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Hugh saw the flashes bursting outrapidly among the rocks and trees at the foot of the slope, and soonperceived that they were mounting upwards. A crowd of Indians must havethrown themselves suddenly forward and established themselves in cover,and they were now fighting their way up. The defenders had fallen back,for the answering flashes were half-way up the slope. The rattle ofmusketry was incessant, but far above it rose the yells of the Indians.The whites fought silently.
It was still too dark to make out the figures, and Hugh and hiscompanions remained inactive.
"Our men are falling back, Bill," he said presently to Royce, who wasstanding a few yards away on the other side of the gap.
"They are sure to do that," Royce replied. "I guess there are twohundred Injuns down there, and though it is difficult for them to maketheir way through the bushes, they will do it. You will see our fellowswill soon be up here."
Five minutes later, indeed, three or four figures were seen coming upthe path. "Who are you?" Hugh shouted.
"It is all right," one of them called out. "There air too many for us,and Broncho has ordered us to fall back, and help you cover the rest."
Gradually the flashes of the defenders' rifles ceased to spurt out fromamong the rocks, and died away altogether. Then at full speed the mendashed up the pathway, followed closely by a number of leaping figures.Then the rifles of those along the edge of the rock cracked out. Therewas a chorus of cries and yells, and the pursuers bounded in among therocks and bushes again, and their rifles flashed out angrily. Rasonfell backwards, shot through the head, and a cry on the other side ofthe gap showed that at least one was hit there.
"Lie down," Hugh shouted, "and fire over the edge."
In a minute the whole party were gathered on the crest. The daylightwas now broadening rapidly; but not one of the assailants could beseen, though the puffs of smoke from behind rock and bush showed howthickly they were gathered.
"Will they try a rush, do you think?" Hugh asked Broncho, who had takenhis post beside him.
"I don't think so," Harry said. "I expect they didn't reckon on findingso many men on guard on the slope, and thought they might carry itwith a rush and get here afore we was ready for them, and before it wurlight enough for us to shoot straight. They can't gather thick enoughamong the rocks down thar to give them a chance of making a big rush."
Apparently this was also the opinion of the Indians, who soon learnedthat it was dangerous to show their position by firing, for every shotwas answered instantly, and several were killed as they raised theirheads to fire from behind the rocks. The firing, therefore, graduallyceased.
"Now we are just as we was before," Harry said. "It wur sartin wecouldn't hold the slope if they made an attack. The only thing is, theyare nearer for a rush in the dark than they was afore. There ain't nofear of their trying it as long as it is light. Six will be enough tokeep guard at present. We will talk over what is best to be done."
Six men were picked out as a guard, the rest assembled in council. "Wehave got to block up that gap somehow," Harry said. "If they make arush in the dark we may kill a lot of them; but the chances are, theywill get up. It seems to me that we had best kill half the horses andpile them up down near the mouth. That will make a breast-work, andwill stop their bullets."
There was a general chorus of assent. Then Hugh said, "That seemsa very good idea, Harry, but I should think that it would be betterif we were to make that breast-work half-way up the gap, and to cutoff some big arms of these trees and pile them in front of it. Ifwe were to pretty well fill up the gap with boughs it would be verydifficult to get through, and a couple of us behind the breast-workwith six-shooters would prevent them from clearing it away, especiallyas the others could fire down from above on them."
"That's it," Broncho Harry said. "That will make us as safe as if therewur no gap at all. Bully for you again, young un! Let us set to workabout it at once."
There was not a hatchet among them, and it took them the whole dayto cut off five or six stout boughs of trees with their bowie-knives.However, it was done at last. The boughs were dragged along until nearthe mouth of the gap and then dropped into it, the butt-ends inwards,Broncho Harry and two or three of the others going down into the gapand arranging them so that a dense screen was formed outwards with theboughs and leaves. One or two shots came up from the bottom of theslope, but these were harmless, and the guard took care that no onewas able to fire from a direct line with the gap from anywhere nearthe summit. At last the boughs were all in position, and a dense hedgefilled the gap twelve feet high.
"We can spare the horses," Harry said. "They can't get through thathedge with us above them. They will never even try it. They see as weare up to something by their firing, but I don't suppose they can makeout what it is. Like enough one of them will crawl up after it getsdark to see, and when he reports what we have done they will know thatthe game is up as far as taking the place by storm is concarned."
From this time forward no attempt was made to renew the attack.The Indians still held the slope, for shots were occasionally firedwhenever one of the defenders came near enough to the edge to allow hishead to be seen, otherwise all was quiet. As soon as the meat broughtup was finished, one of the Indian horses was killed, and Hugh foundthat its flesh was by no means bad eating. The water was carefullyhusbanded, horses as well as men being placed on the smallest possibleallowance. The horses too were picketed so as to prevent them fromgrazing at will, and the grass was cut and supplied to them in smallbundles, mixed with leaves
from the trees. With good management itwas agreed that they would be able to hold out for a fortnight withoutdifficulty.