Chris followed the direction indicated by the American's pointing finger, saw where a big Indian was drawing his bow, showing only his face and arms round a corner, and drew trigger, with the result that he struck the stone and sent splinters flying, and after them the Indian, evidently hurt badly, for he held his left arm with his right-hand.

"Go on, Griggs," said Chris, reloading. "You were saying, 'You know I--' and then you stopped."

"To be sure," said Griggs, whose breath was still coming in gasps, as he lay on his chest with his rifle ready now for a shot. "I was going to say, You know I can run fast."

"Yes, yes," cried Chris eagerly. "Go on."

"I did," said Griggs, "as hard as I could; but a galloping horse is too much for me, and I won't back myself against one again."

"But you got into safety," cried Chris.

"Only just. I believe I saved myself by about one inch and a half.

That was enough, though, to let me shut and lock the door we had got ready."

"Did you fire?" asked the doctor.

"Fire? Never had time, sir. But there, I managed to shut up, I hope, so that the brutes couldn't follow me, and then I hurried on to join you. Tut, tut, what a cracker that is! I didn't hurry a bit. It was a regular crawl to the gully. Think me long?"

"Horribly," cried Chris.

"No wonder, my lad. It was a horrible crawl, for I was regularly done.

I felt what the Amurricans call real bad. But now tell me, did the whole band come by here?"

"As far as we can tell," replied the doctor.

"That's right. I never had time to look back, but it seemed to me as if the whole Indian nation was after my scalp on horseback. They didn't get it, did they, Chris?"

"Get it? No, of course not."

"I'm glad of that; but it felt precious cold two or three times. But now tell me--you've begun shooting--are the enemy coming on?"

"I believe we have only been attacked by a couple of stragglers--two who pa.s.sed through the narrow gap here last."

"And you've filled the gap well up?"

"Oh yes. No horse could get by here."

"That's right! Then the big lot haven't found out yet that they're trapped?"

"Certainly not," said the doctor.

"Then there's going to be a big fight when they do find it out," said Griggs quietly. "I don't want them to come yet till my hand grows a bit steady, for, kill and slay or no, we've got to bring down all we can."

"I suppose so," said the doctor gravely. "It's their lives or ours."

"Yes. They'll be real mad; and we've got to give them a lesson--one that will make them shy of trying bows and arrows against rifles.--Yes, getting all right again now," continued the speaker, in answer to eager inquiries from the other side of the gap.

"That's right," said Bourne. "Lee."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of making for the ponies and mules now, before the Indians find that they're trapped?"

"May I tell him, sir?" said Griggs sharply.

"Yes, say what you think," cried the doctor.

"Look here, Mr Bourne," said Griggs quickly; "the doctor thinks the same as I do--that it would be mad, giving ourselves up to be ma.s.sacred.

We've got to hold this barricade for our lives, and shoot down every man who tries to climb it. There must be no misses this time. Do you hear, boys? You're fighting for your fathers' lives as well as your own. It's no time to be sorry for the poor Indians now. Shoot your best, and leave them to be sorry for themselves.--By the way, Chris, my lad, can you give me a drink out of your water-bottle? I'm pretty well dried-up. I had to fling mine away so as to run lighter, and it was getting so close that I was very nearly sending my rifle and cartridges off as well. But I managed to bring them home.--Hah!" he continued, after a long draught from the bottle Chris handed to him. "What fine stuff water is. I think we've found out that, Squire Bourne, even if we haven't found the gold."

"Hush! Listen!" cried the doctor, and he held up his hand.

For there was a peculiar reverberation from the rocks farther on towards the rock city--a sound that thrilled the listeners through and through.

"Yes, that's them coming, sir," said Griggs coolly. "They're only riding gently, though, and it doesn't seem as if they know what's happened to them yet. We shall see them along that curve soon. Now, doctor, will you give your orders about how we are to shoot?"

"Slowly and steadily," replied the doctor, "and always at the leading men. Listen, Wilton; we three will fire one by one while you all hold your hands to be ready to keep on while we reload, so that they will not be able to advance without seeing their men constantly falling. There must be no excitement, always a careful, steady aim."

"When shall we begin?" asked Wilton.

"As soon as the first man rides out into the open yonder."

"Then it's time to begin at once, sir," said Wilton sharply, "for here they come."

"Yes," said the doctor firmly. "Keep well in cover, every one. Wait till I give the word. I want the leaders to see that the way is barred against their retreat."

"They're beginning to see it already," said Griggs, as about twenty of the Indians rode round the curve into sight, and their quick eyes grasped the fact at once that something had happened at the gap since they pa.s.sed by.

"Look out! 'Ware arrows," said Griggs, in a low, deep growl. "Tell 'em, doctor, that they needn't mind those plaything toys so long as they keep well under cover."

"We can hear what you say," said Bourne, and an anxious half-minute pa.s.sed, before there was a sudden yell, sounding wild and harsh, to echo and re-echo from the mighty walls on either side, while as it went reverberating on from side to side, to die away in the distance, there was another shout, and close upon it the whizz of a flight of arrows, and then a tinkling, splintering sound as they struck against the stones, to snap or glance off, the air just about the barrier seeming for a moment full of the glistening barbed wands.

"Fire!" said the doctor loudly, and _crack_--_crack_--_crack_ with measured slowness the rifles of all three rang out, to raise a fresh set of echoes, and as these were still repeating themselves another and a fiercer yell rang out, for three of the mounted men had gone down and their horses had dashed forward, charging right at the barrier, snorting and tossing their manes, but only to turn back, startled by the heap of rocks piled-up before them, and returned at a fierce gallop, to confuse the crowd they had left, when the rifles from the other side flashed out fire and white puffs of smoke, and three more of the enemy went down, to free their startled and plunging ponies from their riders' reins.

A yell more fierce than ever arose from the little crowd of Indians, whose mounts began to partake of the excitement imparted by the ponies that had begun to tear to and fro in the narrow gulch, while after discharging another innocuous flight of arrows against the barrier of stones, about a dozen of the savages came on, yelling and belabouring their mounts, driving them nearly frantic as they urged them forward.

The riders were evidently imbued with a mad belief that their half-wild steeds would surmount the barrier by leaps and climbing, as after a short wild career they were forced right at the rugged ma.s.s of stones.

Fully half breasted it, some to fall, others to wrench themselves round, while others again flung their riders, to gallop back snorting with excitement, as they returned to dash into the halting mob they had left and add fresh confusion there.

They were exciting moments at the barrier. One Indian pitched upon his head to lie senseless, but three more regained their feet, tore their knives from their belts, and placing them between their teeth to leave their hands free, began to climb up the slope of rough jagged stones to take vengeance upon the whites who had dared to oppose their attack.

But not one of them reached the top of the hurled-down ma.s.ses of rock, which were, after all, not half-way up to where the little party crouched, patient, cool, and watchful, as they obeyed their leader's orders not to waste a shot.

The result of the desperate attack was that one man stopped short, tottered, and fell back, to roll over to the bottom and then begin to crawl slowly back, leaving his comrades motionless where they had fallen.

There was a few moments' pause as the one man crept painfully back, and then about a dozen of the Indians dismounted and joined in driving the frantic ponies that were galloping about through an opening made for them by the waiting band.

This done the party remounted, and set up another furious yell to frighten the defenders from their posts.

Needless to say, this was as vain as the next and larger flight of arrows, which splintered amongst the stones or glanced off to fly far overhead.