ey have had about enough of fighting,
they cleared off so quick, and there is so many of them dead."

At which Bub waxed valiant, and said,--

"I wish I had my big stick to stick into their backs, if they do
come."

Charlie could not forbear a laugh at this, notwithstanding the
sanguinary scenes that had crowded the last few days with horrors, but
answered,--

"I know what you can do, Bub, to drive them away, if they should
come;" and, drawing a ball of twine from his pocket, he tied it to the
trigger of one of the mounted rifles, then feeling again in his pocket
for his knife to cut off the string, he said,--

"Where's my jackknife? I must have lost it in going to the spring for
water; lots of things tumbled out as I crawled through the grass.
Never mind; I can use a case-knife;" and, taking one from the table,
he divided the string so as to leave the end of it hanging within easy
reach of Bub. He did the same to all the guns.

"Now," he explained to Bub, "when I tell you to pull one of these
strings, you must do it as quick as you can. I will whisper, Pull! and
you must take right hold of the twine, and draw it so;" and, contrary
to Charlie's intention, bang went the rifle.

"Why, I didn't mean to do that; but it will show you how. Pulling the
string made the gun go off, you see."

Bub was all attention, and asked, eagerly,

"Shall I do it now?"

"O, no," replied Charlie. "I mean, when I _tell_ you to. When the
Indians come, and I say, _Pull!_ Suppose, for instance, I should get
up in this way,"--and he ascended to the lookout,--"and I should look
out in this way,"--and he put his eye to the port-hole,--"and I
should see a big Indian coming to kill Bub."

"Yes," answered the little listener, "I knows;" and his eyes glistened
with excitement.

"Well, as I was saying, I peep out, and I see a big Indian coming--"

Bub at this instinctively drew nearer the string, his gaze on
Charlie.

"And I should whisper, _Pull!_"

Instantly Bub's fat fist twitched the string, and a second report
echoed over the prairie.

"What did you do that for?" asked his brother, much displeased. "I
didn't wish you to do it now. I was only explaining how to do it, and
I want you to do it right. Don't touch the strings till I tell you;
and then, when I give the word, you'll pull--won't you?"

Curly-head looked as if he intended to stand by the guns.

"In that way, Bub," continued Charlie, "we could keep off a great many
Ind