later a wild war-whoop rang out, and they
charged swiftly on the ranch home!

CHAPTER VI.

POKE STOVER TO THE FRONT.

"Here they come, Dan!"

"Yes, Ralph. Watch your chance, and fire at the fellow on the left.
I'll take the one on the right."

There was no time to say more, for now the Comanches were close to the
cabin. Both youths were tremendously excited, but they felt that it was
a case of life or death, and did their best to nerve themselves
accordingly. Each picked his man, and both guns rang out at the same
time. The reports had not yet died away when the redskin aimed at by
Dan flung up one arm and sank back, badly wounded in the side. Ralph
had missed his mark by a few inches.

The sudden attack brought the remaining Indians to a halt, and for a
second they appeared not to know what to do next. Then the wounded man
staggered back toward the timber, and with another war-whoop the others
continued toward the cabin.

The boys had no time left to reload, and caught up the pistols and let
drive again. This time it was Ralph who hit his man, a slight wound in
the leg. Hardly had the pistols belched forth than the Indians opened
fire, and four bullets buried themselves close to the firing-holes in
the loft openings.

"They mean to overpower us if they can," cried Dan. "We must load up as
fast as we can!"

The Indians, or at least the three that were not wounded, had now
gained the door, and were trying to force it open. But their hatchets
and the axe they had brought along failed to make much of an impression
on it, and all they could do was to shout in their rage and demand that
the boys open the door at once.

"Open! Open!" came in Wolf Ear's voice. "Open, or we will scalp you!"

"Go away, or we'll shoot you all down!" answered Dan, who had now
reloaded his gun.

"We will not go away. What is in the house belongs to the red man, and
he must have it."

"It belongs to our father, and you shall not have one thing," retorted
Dan.

He had unbarred the shutter of one of the upper windows, and now,
leaning out swiftly, he took aim at the forms grouped below, and fired.

A howl went up, for the bullet had nipped one red man in the ear and
glanced along the shoulder of a second. Then came a quick fire in
return, and Dan gave a scream that caused Ralph's heart to almost stop
beating.

"You are struck?" queried the younger brother.

"It's not much," came from Dan, and, breathing heavily, he flun