began
to pour into the cave, some hitting the sides and, ricochetting, wailed
on into the dark depths of the cavern, making any part of the gloomy
place unsafe. The best the Overlanders could do was to keep down and lie
close to the wall.

Nora had had a narrow escape from death at the first shot, though, while
she had not been hit, the bullet had grazed her cheek, leaving a red
mark across it.

Frequent volleys into the cave, after several hours, set the nerves of
each of the Overland Riders on edge. Hippy was eager to take a hand in
the fray, but the girls forbade it, advising him that he would merely be
making a mark of himself, whereas it were doubtful if he could see a
single one of their assailants.

"Yes, but suppose they keep us here for days?" objected Lieutenant
Wingate.

"We have plenty of food," answered Anne.

"And precious little water," added Grace Harlowe. "My advice is to wait
and watch. At night they are certain to come up closer to the mouth of
the cave. Perhaps we may be able to get a shot at them then without
exposing ourselves. Surely, if they try to enter here we can quickly
drive them back."

The rest of the afternoon up to three o'clock was spent in dodging
bullets. Exactly on the hour of three there came an interruption that
startled every one of the cave dwellers. A rattling fire sprang up, but
no bullets came their way. Hippy held up his hand for silence, and
listened.

"Two gangs are at it and they must be shooting at each other. I'm going
out to have a look!" cried Hippy.

"Look! Look!" cried Emma, whose curiosity had led her to follow
Lieutenant Wingate.

Men were seen running down below them. On the opposite mountainside,
just across the narrow valley that lay a short distance from the mouth
of the cave, they saw skulking figures. Now and then one would drop to
his knees and shoot at the fleeing figures in the valley.

The fleeing men in the valley, after reaching the positions they were
seeking, faced their adversaries on the mountainside and began firing up
at them.

"It is the feud!" cried Miss Briggs.

"That's right. I have it!" exclaimed Hippy. "This is the twenty-second
of the month. The Spurgeons were going to sail into the Thompsons on the
twenty-third, but Jed Thompson has beat them to it by a day, and
attacked them on the twenty-second. Good generalship!"

"I call it terrible," murmured Anne Nesbit.

From their elevated position, the Overland Riders were abl