iers, workin'
the finest of Injun sneaks up the hill. If there ever was a grand
sight in Nature it's a two-hundred-pound soldier entirely concealed
by a rock twice the size of my fist.

"Y-a-as, here they come; and I flitted my red handkercher like it
was a 'Pache's head-dress, leadin' 'em on to where Percy was. I
got there first and crawled into a cave where I could watch. I
looked at Percy, sleeping, remarkin' 'whooo-whisssh!' at regular
intervals, his little baby face surrounded by his white
handkercher, his little fat hands folded on his little fat stomach,
and I could scarcely wait for the time when them soldiers' eyes
should fall upon their treacherous, fierce, and implackibble foe.

"The lieutenant was a kid, just gradooated--one of the kind that
thinks it's glorious to get killed and read about it in the papers.
He led his men into the simple quiet of our camp, crouched and
tur'ble, a gun in each hand . . . and there was the United States
army and there was the sleepin' Percy, face to face!

"'What . . . !' says the lieutenant, falling back ten foot. 'What
. . . !' says he, falling back twenty feet and losin' his voice.
'What . . . !'says he, gatherin'himself; 'what is this?

"And then I come out of the cave and rolled on the ground.

"The lieutenant walked over and patted me on the back with a
rifle-butt.

"'What d'ye mean, you s-c-c-coundrel!' he says. 'Stop that
laughing or I'll shoot the pair of you!'

"I come to quick when I heard that. 'Look a' here, young feller,'
I says, 'you can beat me as much as you feel like, but if you make
a crooked play at Percy I'll wrap you up in your diploma and send
you home to your ma.'

"It just happened their half-breed scout knew me.

"'I wouldn't rile Mr. Scraggs, Lieutenant,' says he; 'it's bad
luck.'

"Of course there was more talk, but the lieutenant was a good
enough kid, and when he see all the boys laughin' he give in and
smiled himself.

"'Well, you long-legged statue of melancholy,' says he, 'I suppose
I'll have to let it go, but I'll shoot you, sure as there is
shootin', if you ever play a trick like that on me again. What
kind of a fool are you to stay here in the middle of an outbreak,
anyhow? Now wake up your friend and come with us.'

"'Thanky,' says I; 'but hold--is the road safe to town?'

'"Sure; we've cleaned 'em, all but one bunch.'

"'Well,' says I, 'then Percy and me'll just amble back together the
way we come. I don't wan