ed her
resentment, it certainly resulted that Kate subsided into suffering and
indignant protest. Then Ned's brave, boyish voice was heard.

"Corporal! Can't I come to you now? I'm no good here and I'm sick of the
row Kate keeps up. You said you'd let me come back."

"Wait a few minutes, Ned. I want to be sure they are not sneaking around
these corners," was the reply, followed almost instantly by the bang of
Pike's carbine. Kate gave a suppressed shriek and the corporal a shout
of exultation. Encouraged by the sound of his voice to suppose that the
guard on the east side of the barrier was neglecting his watch, a daring
young Apache crawled on all fours around the foot of the rock to take an
observation. The black head came in view even as Pike was speaking and
the fierce eyes peered cautiously at the breastwork, but the corporal
never moved a muscle, and the savage, believing himself unseen, crawled
still further into view, until half his naked body was in sight from the
narrow slit through which the old trooper was gazing. The brown muzzle
of the cavalry carbine covered the creeping "brave," and the next
instant the loud report went echoing over the gorge and the Indian, with
one convulsive spring, fell back upon the ground writhing in the agonies
of death. In striving to drag the body of his comrade back behind the
rock another Tonto ventured to show head and shoulder, and came within
an ace of sharing his fate, for Pike's next shot whistled within an inch
of the flattened nose, and Apache number two dodged back with wonderful
quickness, and did not again appear.

This would tend to keep them from sneaking around that particular
corner, thought Pike, and he only wished that Jim could have similar
luck on his side, but the Indians had grown wary. Time and again the
veteran glanced down the hill to see if there was any sign of their
crawling upon him from below, but that threatening pile of brushwood now
hid most of the slope from his weary, anxious eyes. The crisis could not
be long in coming.

"O God!" he prayed, "save these little children. Bring us aid."

Poor old Pike! Even as the whispered words fell from his lips a low,
crackling sound caught his ear. Louder it grew, and, looking suddenly to
the left, he saw a thin curl of smoke rising through the branches and
gaining every instant in volume. Louder, louder snapped the blazing
twigs. Denser, heavier grew the smoke. Then tiny darts of flame came
shooting up