e laying his hand on one of his pistols and gazing
anxiously all round him.

Alas! poor Bertram. It needed not the acute apprehension of a redskin
to understand that you had been told of present danger. Neither did it
require much acuteness on the part of March to divine what was to
follow.

Scarcely had the symptoms of alarm been exhibited, when four arrows
whizzed through the air and passed close to the persons of the two
friends, who instantly turned and made a dash for the entrance of the
pass. At the same time the savages uttered a yell and darted after
them.

"We'll never be able to escape by the pass," exclaimed March, looking
behind him hurriedly, as they approached the rocky gorge, "and, I
declare, there's only four o' them on foot. Come, Bertram, let's make a
bold stroke for it. We'll easy break through 'em."

He reined up so suddenly as almost to throw the horse on its haunches,
and, wheeling round, darted towards the savages. Bertram followed
almost mechanically.

The Indians offered no opposition, but at that moment another yell rose
from the hushes, and about thirty mounted Indians, who had been
concealed behind a projecting cliff, sprang forward and closed up the
only place of escape with a formidable array of spears. From their not
using their arrows it was evident that they wished to capture the white
men alive, for the purpose, no doubt, of taking them home to their
wigwams, there to put them to death by slow torture with the assistance
of their squaws.

March Marston's spirit rose with the occasion. He uttered a furious
cry, flourished his hatchet above his head, and dashed at full gallop
towards the line. Seeing this, one of the Indians levelled his spear
and rode out to meet him. Bertram's nerves recovered at that moment.
He fired both pistols at the advancing savage, but without effect. In
despair he hurled one of them violently at the head of the Indian. The
missile went true to the mark and felled him. On beholding this the
whole body of savages rushed upon the two white men.

One powerful Indian seized March by the throat. Before either could use
his weapon the horses separated and both fell violently to the ground.
Bertram leaped off his horse and sprang to the rescue, but he was
instantly surrounded, and for a few seconds defended himself with the
butt of his large cavalry pistol with an amount of energy and activity
that would have filled those who knew him best with am