pale-face. It might have
been a perilous rush, for Pine's hands came right out of his pockets,
and each held a short-barrelled "Derringer" pistol, ready cocked. They
are terrible weapons, but the miner had no occasion to use either of
them. The line of the barrier and of the adjacent rocks seemed to dance
with blue flashes and with puffs of white smoke. Within three seconds
not less than a score of rattling reports awoke the echoes of the notch,
and every blue tube they came from had been aimed by a good marksman.
After all was over, the prevalent opinion was that not one of them had
missed. At all events Yellow Pine was safe to jump up and run for the
barrier, followed by hasty shots from startled and galloping horsemen,
all as useless as so many pebbles. His arrival was greeted by all the
shouting and whooping which could possibly be performed by the red and
white garrison of the notch, aided by One-eye with a vigor that shook
him all over. Even then, however, the voice of the Big Tongue could be
distinguished from the rest.

If the volume of sound did nothing else it deeply impressed the mind of
the Apache chief with an idea of the strength of the force opposed to
him. So had the promptness and number and accuracy of the rifle-shots
which had prevented him from getting any report from his too treacherous
"flag of truce" brave. As for him, Na-tee-kah had been watching Two
Arrows and had seen the Apache fall just as his rifle went off. That was
enough, and she was again proud of her brother. It was in vain for
Ha-ha-pah-no to say,

"Ugh! Heap shoot. All kill him. Go dead a heap."

She as well as Na-tee-kah was taking every opportunity for practising
all the small English words she could pick up, and some of her greatest
successes would have puzzled a dictionary.

The Apaches were all but silent and drew back a little at the end of
their burst of angry whooping and useless shooting. They drew back still
farther because of a steady whizzing of bullets from the barrier. It was
too far for good marksmanship, but the rifles made nowadays will send a
piece of lead a mile and hurt something with it.

Suddenly a second burst of angry yells arose among the baffled marauders
as a pony-rider in a great hurry dashed in among them, shouting forth
the news of the arrival of the blue-coats and the loss of the drove and
its protectors. Here was a blow indeed, and the escaped brave's estimate
of the number of the cavalry he had ru