k,
Griggs?"

"Walk, sir? I should like to run."

"But your leg must smart."

"Hardly smarts, sir; it's just as if somebody was playing at sewing it
up with a red-hot skewer. Nice bold refreshing sort of pain.--Tchah!
That's all right."

"But where are the mules and ponies, father?" said Chris, as they
hurried now in the direction of the terraced cliff on their right.

"Hobbled, and grazing at the foot of our cliff under shelter of a couple
of rifles."

"But there are more Indians at the mouth of the gulch?"

"I don't know," said the doctor. "They had a fire burning there last
night."

"Yes," said Chris dryly, "I know;" but he did not then attempt to
explain how he knew.

"They haven't shown since they felt the effect of our bullets, but
they're as cunning as they are treacherous, and one never knows what
they may be about."

Some quarter of an hour later the adventurers were all in shelter, one
of the cells of the lower range having been turned into a temporary
mess-room, while the next showed signs of cooking in the shape of a
curling little column of smoke; there was water in buckets outside on
the terrace, where, behind a kind of breastwork hastily piled-up, watch
was being kept; and well in sight there were the animals of the little
train, grazing contentedly enough well within range of the watchers'
rifles.

Chris felt like a hero after the warmth of his welcome was beginning to
cool down. He had eaten almost ravenously, and assuaged the great
thirst from which he had suffered. But now the great desire from which
he suffered was want of sleep, for he was utterly weary and so stiff
that he could hardly refrain from uttering a groan.

All the same he had been obliged to relate his adventures once more--
such of them as had not been seen from the valley. But at last he was
lying down in the cool shade in one of the cells and dropping off, but
only to be aroused by the coming in of Ned, who was eager to hear more.

"You are a lucky one, Chris," he said, in an ill-used tone.

"What!" cried the boy angrily; but the next moment the remark presented
such a ludicrous side that he began to laugh, and then, possibly from
exhaustion and the result of the exciting passages he had gone through,
his mirth grew at once almost hysterical, so that he could not check
himself.

"Why, what's the matter?" cried Ned wonderingly. "Have I said anything
comic?"

"Horribly," panted Chris; "but I do wish you'd go