you're bleeding fast!"

"Oh, it's nothing, sir," said the man.

"How do you know?" cried the doctor. "Here, let's get behind that
stone. They can't touch us there."

Griggs walked firmly enough half the distance to the shelter sought for,
but he limped the rest of the way, and was ready enough to sit down
behind the rock and let the doctor go on one knee to carefully draw up
the bloodstained bottom of the man's trousers just above where it was
thrust into the high boot.

"Hah!" sighed the doctor. "Only a clean little cut in the flesh. I'll
put a stitch or two in it. Why, it's as clean as if done with a knife."

The doctor had laid his rifle ready to hand, and was busy at once
opening a pocket-book containing the necessaries he required; but first
of all he pulled round the bottle slung over his shoulder and carefully
washed the diagonal cut.

"You don't think there's poison in it, do you, doctor?" said the
American, with a look of amusement.

"Any form of dirt is poison to a wound," said the doctor, drying the
place; and then, after deftly drawing the edges of the wound together,
cutting some strips of plaister with the bright scissors ready, and
applying them to keep all protected from the air.

"Hurt much?" he said, as he worked away, Chris watching the while as if
taking a lesson.

"Well, yes, I won't say it don't, doctor; but not worse than I feel
somewhere else. I say, though, hadn't we better make haste back to the
fort?"

"Yes; you feel faint, don't you?"

"Horribly," said Griggs, giving Chris a comical look.

"Let's go, then. Put your foot as lightly as you can to the ground, and
lean on me. We must get out of bowshot as quickly as we can."

"Tchah! Only my nonsense, doctor," said Griggs cheerily. "My faintness
is the same as squire's here. We want our breakfast horribly."

"Oh," cried the doctor, smiling. "I was afraid it was from your wound.
I don't wonder that you are faint, Chris. But one moment, boy, do you
think the Indians can lower themselves down over the edge of the cliff?"

"No, father; not unless they are ready to drop as I did."

"How far?"

"Can't tell," said Chris, with an involuntary shudder. "It was rather
horrible, and I wonder I wasn't killed."

"And I wonder too," said the doctor solemnly. "I don't think that they
will dare to descend in the daytime, for they will be afraid that we are
waiting to fire at all who show; so come on. Are you sure you can wal