All right; not much hurt, sir," cried the sufferer, rejoining his
companions, after picking up his helmet, the back of which had been
scored by a nearly spent rugged missile, whose track was marked in a
long jagged cut across the man's right cheek-bone, from which the blood
was trickling down.

The rear men were on the alert, watching for a chance to retaliate upon
their troublesome enemy, but holding their fire, for not a man was
visible, and it seemed useless to fire at the rocks they had just left.

"The sooner we are out of this the better," said the Captain quietly.
"You know your work.--Wait a minute, and then at the word rush across to
the rocks."

The minute had nearly passed, the time filled up by the rattle and roar
of falling stones, and Bracy's half-company, though at rest, were
panting hard with excitement like greyhounds held by a leash. Then,
just as the falling stones were beginning to slacken as if the throwers
grasped the fact that they were wasting their strength, and were
reserving their discharge till the half-company made its rush, there was
a sudden quick movement among the rocks they were to try and reach, and
Bracy's blood ran cold as, puff, puff, puff, and then crack, crack, fire
was opened.

"Hah!" ejaculated Roberts excitedly; "they've got down somehow to cut us
off. We're between two fires, Bracy, man. There's nothing for it now
but to dash forward. You must clear them out of that. Don't stop to
pick up your men who go down. We shall be close behind, and will see to
them. Get across, and then turn and cover us if you can."

Bracy nodded, and drew his revolver, just giving one glance upward at
the heights from whence the stones came, and then fixing his eyes upon
the rocks on the other side of the curve of the track, from which fresh
puffs of smoke arose, making their position look desperate with the
enemy in front and rear, supplemented by those hidden among the rugged
natural battlements of their stronghold.

"How many men shall I lose?" thought the young officer; and then, "Shall
I get across alive?"

The next moment all was changed.

"Why, Roberts," he cried, "it's our own men yonder, firing up instead of
at us, to cover our advance."

"Forward, then," cried Roberts. "We shall be close behind."

Bracy dashed ahead, waving his sword, and his half-company of boys
cheered as they followed him; while as soon as they started there was a
tremendous crashing of dislodged mass