Consequently it might not be of a mind to face several enemies at once; though a tiger-cat that has been made to feel the agony of a gunshot wound will leap into a regiment at times, and start to make a clean sweep, until borne down by force of numbers.

The animal hesitated at one point in its attack. Adrian was quick to notice this little but significant fact; pressing his advantage he gave a particularly loud whoop, and instead of standing on the defensive as heretofore, he actually a.s.sumed the aggressive.

That proved to be the crux of the whole exciting little affair, for the panther was surprised at the turn of events, and gave evidences of a desire to retreat.

By now the boy's fighting spirit had been wholly aroused, and he was determined that under no circ.u.mstances, if he could help it, should that impudent panther get away unscathed. It had attacked him unprovoked; and now he meant to see that the fighting cat got full measure, pressed down, and running over.

Watching his chance Adrian suddenly jumped back, and at the same instant there was heard the click of his gun's mechanism working.

It was all done like a flash, and he had timed his movement with such precision as well as sagacity that before the beast could recover, and either resume the attack or jump away, the young hunter was ready to put the finishing stroke to his warmly contested game.

The other pair, having covered about half the ground by this time, and still coming on wildly, saw their chum once more thrust out his gun; but this time it was with a far different manner than before. There was also a confidence in his action that told the experienced Donald what sort of change had come about during that second or so of time.

Had he been given time to shout no doubt Donald would have voiced his belief to the effect that Adrian had succeeded in rendering his magic fire-stick serviceable again, by those few quick movements of his hands.

Of course it was as good as over now. At such close quarters Adrian, being so accustomed to firearms, was not apt to miss a vital spot. And when the discharge was heard the panther sprang into the air, rolled over on the ground, clawing desperately, while Adrian stood close by, though out of reach, his faithful weapon again in readiness to be used in case of necessity.

But it was not required of him, for by the time Donald and Billie came panting to the spot, the fat boy blowing like a porpoise with his strenuous exertions, the gray-coated beast had stiffened out in death.

"Hurt any, Ad?" gasped Donald, as he surveyed his chum anxiously; because he knew only too well how difficult such wounds as those given by the claws of a carniverous animal are to heal, and what danger of blood poisoning always hangs over the one who has received the same.

Adrian laughed as well as he was able in his nearly exhausted condition.

"Not a scratch-never touched me!" he managed to tell them; at which both the others took off their hats, and gave a faint cheer.

When they had managed to in part recover their wind they bent over to examine the cat, which both prairie lads declared to be the largest they had ever seen.

"The nerve of the rascal, jumping at you just because you knocked over a deer he had his eye on," remarked Billie, as he poked his toe into the sleek skin of the slain beast.

"Well," said Donald, laughingly, "just put yourself in his place, Billie, and think how ugly you'd feel if you had your mouth made up for a certain sort of meal, and just when you were going to reach out to grab it, some fellow stepped in and scooped the prize. Chances are you'd feel like tackling him, and trying to take it away, now wouldn't you, honest Injun?"

The fat boy screwed up his red, good-natured face as though pondering over the subject; then he nodded his head like one of these automatic dolls you see in the shop windows along about Christmas time.

"P'raps I might, Donald; mebbe you're right about that," he went on to say presently; "because it sure is a mighty aggravating thing to have your mouth made up for a mess of fried onions, and then not get 'em; and it must be worse to be cheated out of everything at the same time. Yes, I don't blame the scamp so much after all; but say, he sure barked up the wrong tree when he thought to scare one of the Broncho Rider Boys off, didn't he, fellows?"

"Looks that way," Donald replied.

"But we got the deer all right, and that means a feast of venison right along now, the balance of our trip to the Zuni village, don't it?"

continued Billie, his blue eyes fairly snapping with delight; for while they had had an abundance to eat thus far, fresh meat had been only noticeable, as Billie would say, by its absence.

"Yes," Adrian went on to remark, "we'll have plenty of venison; and I'll get busy cutting the animal up, if you boys will look after the horses; and Donald you might slip that fine gray jacket off my panther; I reckon it'll be worth keeping as a sort of reminder of the sa.s.sy way he tackled me."

"I'll take care of the horses, all right," ventured Billie, who knew very little about removing the skin of a dead animal, and moreover was not anxious to take lessons in that line.

So it came about that for some little while all of them were more or less busy, Adrian in cutting off the choice portions of the deer; Donald in depriving the unfortunate panther of the sleek covering he had borne all his life; while Billie led the horses, and after them the mule, to water, which he found trickling down the face of the rocks near by.

"And," said the fat boy, after he had completed his part of the programme, "seein' how close to noon it is right now, why not stop long enough to let me make a little cooking fire out of these dead branches under the cedar, and try a piece of the venison?" and silence giving consent, he proceeded to immediately get busy.

CHAPTER VII.

THE WITCH DOCTOR.

"Well, it's a little tough, but all the same I like it," was Billie's opinion of the venison, after it had been cooked, and they sat around making a meal of it.

"You couldn't expect anything less," Donald went on to say; "because all meat is more juicy and tender from hanging several days, when the weather allows. Before we're done chewing on this maverick you'll agree that I'm right, for it'll get better with age."

"That's a cinch!" agreed Adrian.

As it was pretty hot around the middle of the day, none of them were very ambitious about making a fresh start, after they had finished eating. In fact, they lay around in easy positions, and waited for the sun to get started toward the west, so that its rays might not be so direct.

"Tell me some more about the Zunis, Donald," urged Billie, thinking that it was a good time to put forward such a plea; for long ago had he not learned that a wise fellow will wait to ask a favor of his father until after dinner, and not when he first comes home, tired and hungry?

"Oh! can't you just hold your horses a little longer, Billie?" observed the other, with a good-natured smile. "Because, you know we'll drop in on the copper colored gents tomorrow, with any decent sort of luck; and then you'll be able to see everything for youself."

"Yes, that's so, Donald," the fat boy went on in his wheedling, insinuating way; "but I've been told that whenever you expect to take a journey into any foreign country the first thing to do is to get guide books, and read up all you can about the people, their strange habits, and so-forth. In that way you can understand them much quicker than if you didn't know beans about the lot. And so, the more I can hear about these Hopi and Zuni Indians, who all belong to the family of cliff dwellers, and are so different from every other tribe that ever inhabited North America, why, the quicker I'll understand what a lot of queer things they do stand for."

Adrian pretended to clap his hands as if in applause.

"Seems as if he's got you there, Donald," he went on to remark. "A heap of sound sense in what Billie says."

"Oh!" remarked the fat boy, with a shrug of his broad shoulders, "I do have a bright thought once a year, you know. Of course it's only an accident, and couldn't be helped; but strike up, Donald, and tell me something about that old medicine man who is the queerest of the whole bunch I take it, from what I've read, and heard about him."

Donald looked sharply at the speaker. He did not underestimate Billie, and knew that many times the fat boy had proven to be far from being the numbskull he pretended he was.

"Well, whatever put that notion in your head," Donald observed, "it's as true as anything going. Remember that I've only run across a batch of these cliff-dwellers once, when dad took me to see the wonderful Colorado Canyon, where heaps of their rock homes can be seen high up in the walls of the biggest hole in all the world. So that what I know about these Zunis we're on the way to visit I've had only from the lips of others, generally cowboys who like to stretch things, you understand."

"All right; we'll make allowances for the exaggerations of Bunch, Si Ketcham, Corney, Skinny, Alkali or even the c.h.i.n.k cook, Ah Chin Chin.

Now start in, please, Donald."

"In the first place," began the other, thoughtfully, "the old chap who rattles the dry bones, and plays the part of medicine man to the Zunis has been known all over the country for many years as the sharpest of his kind. He's got a genuine Indian name, of course, which I couldn't p.r.o.nounce even if I remembered it; but they tell me it stands for Witch Doctor, and that's what we'll have to call him, I reckon."

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," muttered Billie.

"I'm not going to try and describe the old fakir, because I never could do him justice," Donald went on. "Having seen one like him I could picture the Witch Doctor, after both Si Ketcham at the ranch, and Corse Tibbals at the mine had painted a word picture of him. Above all things you've got to snap him off, if you want a jim-dandy card for your exhibit, to stun the boys at home."

"Yes, sure I will, Donald. Ain't I carrying ten rolls of films in my pack right now, just for that same purpose?" Billie a.s.sured him.

"What I wanted to tell you most about, though, Billie, was something that's sort of excited my curiosity more'n a little."

"Oh! that sounds kind of interesting to be sure, Donald; so please keep right on, and let's hear all about it," the other pleaded.

"It seems," began the prairie boy, "that this old fellow has surrounded himself with a regular halo of the deepest mystery ever. All of his stripe like to make out that they're in direct communication with the Great Spirit or Manitou of the red man, you know; and this Witch Doctor has got the rest of the bunch beat to a frazzle, as Teddy would say."

"How so?" asked Adrian, as the narrator paused, possibly on purpose to let his strange words sink in, and arouse further curiosity on the part of his hearers.