s. "I thought I saw some signs just about
dusk, but maybe it was some slinking coyote, or a big jack rabbit.
Anyhow, if--if anything does happen it won't come during darkness; that
is, unless it's some of them half-breed or Mexican rustlers, and I don't
believe they've been around these diggings lately. I'm going to snooze."

Soon his heavy breathing told that he slept, and several hours passed
before he again awoke. If he had made one other observation, probably he
would have seen that which would have aroused his suspicions, for, about
an hour after midnight, there was an uneasy movement among the animals.

And in the starlight, which in a measure made the night less black,
several shadowy, slinking forms might have been observed creeping toward
the camp and the pile of provisions and supplies, among the latter of
which were the boxes containing the valuable films of the moving
pictures.

It was Hank, as might have been expected, who awakened. One of the
burros, always an excitable, nervous beast, capered about and uttered a
shrill whinny as if in fright.

Hank was out of his tent in an instant. Leaping to his feet he blazed
away with his revolver. Its flash lit up the darkness, and was at once
answered by half a dozen other flashes.

"Come on, boys!" yelled Hank. "They're after us! I wasn't mistaken,
after all! I did see some of 'em sneaking around! Lively, now!" and he
blazed away again.

"What is it?" cried Blake.

"Indians! They're after our horses!" yelled the cowboy, as the two lads
joined him.

CHAPTER II

A DARING RAID

"Where are they?"

"Which way shall we shoot?"

Joe and Blake questioned thus by turn as they leaped to Hank's side.
They were in darkness now, for the cowboy had ceased shooting, and those
who had come to attack had likewise allowed their weapons to become
silent. As a matter of fact, Hank Selby had only fired in the air, if
possible to frighten off the Indians, and it seemed that the redmen had
done the same, since there was no whine of bullets over the head of the
guide.

"What is it?" asked Blake, fingering the rifle he had caught up as he
rushed from the tent.

"Indians," replied Hank, in a low voice. "It's probably some band of
Moquis or Navajos, who escaped being rounded up as the others were.
Probably they were chased so hard, or were so surprised at one of their
camps, that they had to leave without their ponies. And they do hate to
walk. They saw our animal