e still rushing out of the
thickets, he caught Tyope by the shoulder and drew him along, saying in
a milder tone,--

"Follow me, sa uishe." He pitied the crestfallen man.

Henceforth it was the medicine-man who assumed the lead, Tyope gathering
energy enough to act as his lieutenant. The shaman was but a mediocre
warrior; still in this dismal hour he was the only salvation of the
remaining Queres.

Not one half of their number succeeded in reaching the bottom of the
Canada Ancha and taking shelter in the groves of tall pines that dot the
vale. It was an anxious time for those who had already found safety
behind trees, when they saw the stragglers rush down the rugged slope
and tear through the thickets, followed by the Tehuas, who crowded along
the brink in greatly superior numbers, yelling, shooting arrows, and
waving triumphantly the many, many scalps they had taken. A few of their
skirmishers descended some distance, but the main pursuit was stayed by
strict orders from the Tehua war-chief. As soon as the first group of
fugitives, among them Hishtanyi and Tyope, had reached the bottom of the
Canada, the shaman arrested their farther flight, prevailing upon them
to make a stand.

Their position was temporarily a good one. No approach was possible
without exposing the assailant to arrow-shots, whereas the defenders
were thoroughly protected.

As their numbers increased by accessions from those who had also been
able to extricate themselves, their courage returned, and they willingly
remained until the time came when the shaman, and Tyope by his command,
should direct farther retreat. The leaders of the Tehuas saw this and
desisted from an attempt at complete extermination. It would have cost
them dearly, and would only have increased the number of their
trophies. So the Tehuas remained above the gorge, displaying a
threatening front, while in reality the majority of them returned home,
and with them Shotaye.

Great was the exultation of the woman when she saw the triumph of her
new friends over her own people. She was proud of this result of her
craftiness and her skill. When, the engagement over, she scanned the
field, looking at the dead and searching for Tyope among them in vain,
her disappointment was fearful. Corpse after corpse she scrutinized,
turning over the ghastly bodies, peering into the lifeless features,
raising the mutilated heads to see more closely, more distinctly. In
vain; Tyope was not among