eyes as he peered over the rocky parapet in front of him. One
glance was sufficient. Looking down behind the wall, he seized Jim by
the throat, shaking him vigorously and at the same time placing his
other hand over his mouth so that he might make no outcry. "Wake up,
Jim! Wake up! and see what your faithlessness has brought upon us! Look
down the hill here! Look through that loophole and see what you've
done!"

Terrified, with his eyes starting from their sockets, Jim obeyed, and
his black face showed in an instant the full realization of the scene
before him.

"Now, is your rifle all ready?" whispered Pike. "Don't rouse those poor
little people in there until we have to. They must stay way back in the
cave. Now, observe strictly what I tell you: I want you to aim at the
taller of those two Indians who are the leaders. Do not fire until I
give the word; but be sure you hit. Recollect now, you've got to fire
down hill, and the bullets fly high. Aim below his waistband, then
you'll probably strike him either through the heart or the upper chest.
Now, go to your loophole and stay there. Are you ready, Jim?"

"I'm ready, boss. Just wait one minute until I get my rifle through
here."

Kneeling beside his own loophole, Pike once more looked down the hill.
Not over a hundred yards away--crouching along, following step by step
the trail that he and Jim had made--pointing with their long bony
fingers at every mark on the ground or upon the trees--two lean,
keen-eyed, sinewy Apaches were slowly and silently moving up the
mountain side in a direction that would take them diagonally across the
front of the hill. Behind them, among the trees and bowlders, and spread
out to the right and left, came others,--all wary, watchful, silent,--as
noiseless and as stealthy in their movements as any panther could
possibly be. Pike could see that they were armed mostly with rifles. He
knew that very few of them had breech-loaders at that time; but still
that there were some among them which they had obtained by murdering and
robbing helpless settlers, or mail messengers.

With abundant ammunition close at hand, with the advantage of position
and the fact that he meant to have the first fire, Pike calculated that
the moral effect would be such that he could drive them back, and that
they would not resume the attack until after a consultation among
themselves. The two who were so far in front of the others were steadily
approaching the li