Hugh and his practically unbroken front. Through some sort of
natural generalship they confined their charge to the hills on one side
of the pass. Ridgeway saw this with alarm. He knew that they would
eventually force their way to the top. Yet the spears from above mowed
down the climbing savages like tenpins, while their weapons did little
or no damage. With each distinct volley from above the advancing foe
fell back, but rallied like heroes. By this time hundreds of them were
down; broad daylight made the pass look like a slaughter pen.

Ridgeway ran among his men, urging them to stand firm, to beat back the
foe, and they responded with an ardor that was nothing less than
fiendishness itself. Their spears were unerringly thrown, but the supply
was diminishing; it was the question of a very few minutes before they
would be without ammunition. Hugh's hope lay in the possibility that the
foe would soon retreat, believing itself unable to cope with an
adversary whose numbers were unknown and who held such an
advantageous position.

He soon saw that he would have to quickly withdraw his men from the
hill after one of the temporary repulses, taking them to the trench at
the mouth of the pass. Almost as he was forming this plan, he realized
that it would be necessary to carry it out at once.

Far down the pass, beyond his line, the enemy came swarming up the
undefended slope, steep as it was, and some of the foremost were already
scrambling over the last few feet intervening. He yelled to the men,
pointing to the danger spot and then toward the trenches, making a sign
immediately thereafter to deliver a telling volley into the
struggling ranks.

The savages seemed to understand, and he devoutly thanked God, for they
sent a shower of spears into the horde and then dashed helter-skelter in
the direction of the trenches where lay the king and two hundred men.
Wild yells of triumph came from behind, and long before the descent to
the valley was reached by the fleeing white man and his dusky army, the
Ooloozers were pouring into the tree-covered summit like so many sheep.

Down the hill sped Hugh and his men. Pootoo saw them coming and waved
his spear frantically. As the retreating army rolled headlong into the
trenches and behind the breastworks, the enemy arrived at the crest of
the hill. Breathlessly Hugh motioned for Pootoo to call the men from the
opposite hill into action at once.

A volley of spears shot into and ov