d food and water."

"Yes," I joined in, "it is like a regular fort only we can't get the
horses up."

"We will see to that later," returned Jim, "let's examine these rocks."

We left our horses below and crawled up a narrow trail between two rocks
and found on top a depression with stones surrounding it, in which grew
some bushes and scattered tufts of grass.

"Here is a good place for shelter," suggested Jim.

"It certainly is," I acquiesced.

There was a big flat rock supported on two others and room for us to
crawl under if we stooped down. Underneath was a large enough space for
our camp, the ground covered with clean gravel.

"This will be our bedroom," I proposed.

"Yes," replied Jim, "if you don't mind the upper floor in case of fire."

"We must get the horses up," I said, "or the Indians will be stealing
them."

"Don't you believe it," returned Jim, "those beggars are not going to
risk their valuable lives. They think they have got us cold without
taking any chances. All they will have to do is to squat around and wait
for us to be starved out."

So we went down below where our ponies were patiently waiting, their
heads drooping. They were just about played out. It had been a terrible
chase and they had saved our lives by their speed and stamina.

We got them up the narrow path between the rocks. Only at one point were
we exposed to the Indian fire and then we got it. An irregular
succession of shots rang out and some of the bullets left their
splotches on a rock above us, but most of them went very wild. The heavy
rain was a veil of protection.

One thing we had learned was that the Indians were bad marksmen and
were easily flurried. They were too anxious to save their own skins to
take careful aim. Even when they had a good quiet chance they did not
seem able to land a direct blow.

Then it is hard to shoot accurately at a steep angle; the wind too and
the rain as suggested, helped us, for the latter blurred everything. So
we were not greatly worried by the shooting.

In a few seconds we had got the ponies on top. And we thought they were
comparatively safe, but there was one side that was lower than the
others and the Indians kept potting away.

"We will soon fix that," said Jim. "Make Coyote lie down out of range."

This I had no difficulty in doing. He seemed to know instinctively what
was expected of him.

"Now," said Jim, "we will build up that side."

So we went to work and dragge