istance so long as they dare not "rush" his
outposts. Only on the east side were there pits less than three hundred
yards from the mesa, but here there was a dismal flat beyond the creek,
affording a minimum of cover, and hardly a bullet whistled in from any
direction so as to reach the quarters. Once in a while a little puff of
dust flew up from the sandy slope without, but even that was enough to
demand that the women folk should keep under shelter, and at the moment
the firing began Lilian and her mother were seated by Willett's
reclining chair, and then Mrs. Stannard joined them, and, the windows
being shaded, they never saw, among the first to reach the general at
the mesa edge, Harris, the wounded officer, revolver in his unfettered
hand.

The first volleying over, only in single and scattered shots, as they
reloaded, came the Indian fire. If the hope had been to strike dismay
with a volume of sound such as native ears had not heard, the Apache
was doomed to disappointment. Men who had heard the crash of
Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor laughed at the puny crackle of two
hundred muskets. Then presently the Springfields began deliberate
reply, only an occasional shot, for only very rarely did so much as the
tip of a turban appear, and then the sun had dropped below the Mazatzal
and the valley was in shadow, and old Archer stood with grim, whimsical
smile on his weather-beaten face, as, field-glass to his eyes, he
scanned his outposts at the south where the firing seemed heaviest. It
was a moment or two before he noticed Harris at all. When he did it was
to utter a mild rebuke. "You should not be here, lad. You need rest.
This is only fun."

Yet not all fun. Strong came presently thumping back from beyond the
store. He had borrowed Craney's Pinto pony and had been visiting the
southward posts, and Pinto had been clipped by a bullet and was half
frantic with the smart and scare combined. Moreover, Strong's fighting
face was red and mad, as he thrashed the lagging pony up the slope.

"It's Deltchay, sir, easy enough," said he, with sweeping salute, "and
that isn't all"--this with almost challenging glance at Harris, who had
dropped his pistol and was gazing intently through his binocular at an
open, slanting space far out to the south-east, still blazing in the
rays of the setting sun. "The man of all others that oughtn't to be
there stood at that point of rocks not ten minutes ago--the man we sent
for Turner, general