e to the unbridged
gulf. The savages, thinkin' no doubt it was all up with him, gave a
fiendish yell o' delight. That yell saved the poor ne'er-do-well. It
was as good as a Spanish spur to a wild horse. Over he came with legs
an' arms out like a flyin' squirrel, and down he fell flat on his
stummick at our feet wi' the nearest thing to a fair bu'st that I ever
saw, or raither heard, for I was busy sightin' a Redskin at the time an'
didn't actually see it. When the savages saw what he'd done they turned
tail an' scattered back into the woods, so we only gave them a loose
volley, for we didn't want to kill the critters. I just took the bark
off the thigh of one to prevent his forgettin' me. We held the place
here for three days, an' then findin' they could make nothin' of us, or
havin' other work on hand, they went away an' left us in peace."

"An' what became o' poor Miffy?" asked little Trevor, earnestly.

"We took him down with us to a new settlement that had been started in
the prairie-land west o' the Blue Mountains, an' there he got a
sitooation in a store, but I s'pose he didn't stick to it long. Anyhow
that was the last I ever saw of him. Now, boys, it's time to turn in."

That night when the moon had gone down and the stars shed a feeble light
on the camp of those who slumbered on the Outlook rock, two figures,
like darker shades among the surrounding shadows, glided from the woods,
and, approaching the edge of the gap, gazed down into the black abyss.

"I told you, redskin, that the plank would be sure to be drawn over,"
said one of the figures, in a low but gruff whisper.

"When the tomahawk is red men do not usually sleep unguarded," replied
the other, in the Indian tongue.

"Speak English, Maqua, I don't know enough o' your gibberish to make out
what you mean. Do you think, now, that the villain Paul Bevan is in the
camp?"

"Maqua is not a god, that he should be able to tell what he does not
know."

"No, but he could guess," retorted Stalker--for it was the robber-chief.
"My scouts said they thought it was his figure they saw. However, it
matters not. If you are to earn the reward I have offered, you must
creep into the camp, put your knife in Bevan's heart, and bring me his
scalp. I would do it myself, redskin, and be indebted to nobody, but I
can't creep as you and your kindred can."

"I'd be sure to make row enough to start them in time for self-defence.
As to the scalp, I don't want