ve got to get out of here
right quick; follow me, boys!'

"Holding their rifles in hand, and clutching a hunting-knife also, they
stepped out into the brush surrounding the place, and started on a run
for the heavy timber on the bank of the creek.

"They had reckoned onluckily; a wild war-whoop greeted the flying men as
they reached the edge of the forest, and without being able to use their
arms, they were taken prisoners. Bill and Al, fastened with their backs
against each other, and Little Rube by himself, were bound to separate
trees, but not so far apart that they could not speak to each other,
and some of the Ingins began to gather sticks and pile them around the
trees.

"'What are they going to do with us?' anxiously inquired Bill of Al.

"'Roast us, you bet,' replied the other. 'They'll find me tough enough,
anyhow.'

"'It must be a painful death,' soliloquized Bill.

"'Well, it isn't the most pleasant one, you can gamble on that,' said
Al, turning his looks toward Bill; 'but see what the devils are doing to
poor Rube.'

"Bill cast his eyes in the direction of the dumb boy, who was fastened
to a small pine, about a hundred feet distant. Standing directly in
front of it was a gigantic Ingin, flourishing his scalping-knife within
an inch of Rube's head, trying to make the boy flinch. But the young
fellow merely scowled at him in a rage, his muscles never quivering for
an instant.

"While the men were trying to console each other, two of the savages,
who had gone away for a short time, returned, bearing the carcass of the
deer that Al had killed in the morning, and commenced to cut it up. They
had made several small fires, and roasting the meat before them, began
to gorge themselves, Indian fashion, with the savoury morsels. The men
were awfully hungry, too, but not a mouthful did they get of their own
game.

"The Ingins were more'n an hour feasting, while their prisoners kept a
looking for some help to get 'em out of the scrape they was in.

"'Bout a mile down the creek, me and six other trappers had a camp, and
that morning, being scarce of meat, we all went a hunting. We had killed
two or three elk and was 'bout going back to camp with our game, when we
heard firing, and supposed it was a party of hunters, like ourselves,
so we did not pay any attention to it at first; but when it kept up so
long, and there was such a constant volley, I told our boys it might be
a scrimmage with a party of red devil