ire they had lit for cooking, for the wind came down sharply from
the mountains. Rifles and pistols lay with the sledges, for the little
party of five had stripped to their work, so that, save for the axes
they used, they were unarmed.

But no thought of danger occurred to any one present; that was postponed
in imagination till they had finished the raft and embarked for a
twenty-mile sail down to where the river, which entered as a shallow
mountain torrent, rushed out, wonderfully augmented, to tear northward
in a series of wild rapids, which would need all the strength and
courage of the travellers to navigate them in safety.

A hearty laugh was ringing out, for the big Cornishman had rather
boastingly announced that he could carry one of the fallen trees easily
to the lake, put it to the proof, slipped, and gone head first into the
water after the tree, when a sharp crack rang out from near at hand.

Abel uttered a loud cry, clapped his hands to his head, and fell
backward.

For a moment or two the men stood as if paralysed, gazing at the fallen
youth. Then Dallas looked sharply round, caught sight of a thin film of
smoke curling up from the edge of the forest, and with a cry of rage ran
toward the sledges, thrusting the handle of his axe through his belt,
caught up his revolver from where it lay, and dashed towards the spot
whence the firing must have come.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

WHOLESALE ROBBERY.

"Keep together--keep together!" shouted the big Cornishman; but no one
heeded, and he followed their example of seizing the first weapon he
could reach and following.

The pursuit was short, for it seemed madness to follow in amongst the
dense pines which formed the forest, placing themselves at the mercy of
an enemy who could bring them down as they struggled through the dense
thicket of fallen trees and tangled branches: so, after a few rallying
cries, they made their way back to the open space by the lake, to find
Abel sitting up and resting his head upon his hand.

"Wounded!" panted Dallas.

"Yes--no! I can't tell! Look!" said the injured man huskily.

A few minutes' examination showed how narrow had been his escape, a
bullet having struck the side of the poor fellow's head, just abrading
the scalp. Half an inch lower must have meant death.

"Injuns," said the Cornishman laconically.

"No, no," cried Dallas, with a fierce look round; "it must be our
enemies."

"Not they, my lad; they're fast asl