to the trap?"

"Ha, ha!" laughed Ned. "To be sure. There you are, Chris: how are you
going to get your birds into the trap?"

Chris laughed too, but very gently.

"I've been thinking of all that," he said, "and I don't quite see yet.
I could manage it easily enough if there was a way out that we could
climb. Then we could retreat before them some time, and they'd follow
us in; and as soon as they had all ridden in the door of the trap could
be closed."

"Who's going to shut the trap?" said Ned, laughing. "Why, Chris, you're
making a bull."

"Oh no, I'm not. One or two would be enough to lead the Indians in; the
others could shut the trap."

"And what about the live bait that led the Indians in?" said Ned.

"They'd make for the way to get out, and climb up here."

"Well, you are a Paddy," cried Ned, laughing heartily. "You're going to
lead the enemy in, and show them the way out again. Can't you see that
if they followed the two who acted as bait they'd come out too?"

"Yes," said Chris coolly, "but that wouldn't matter."

"What! Why, you're all in a fog, and can't see your way," cried Ned.

"We're not afraid of the Indians, and we could keep them off easily
enough if we wanted to before we got back to our horses and rode away."

"But the enemy would follow," cried Ned, grinning.

"Well, suppose they did?" cried Chris; "they'd be on foot. They could
climb out of the trap, but their ponies couldn't."

Griggs laughed now, and Ned looked uncomfortable.

"Oh! I see," he drawled, very slowly. "I didn't think of that."

"Hah!" ejaculated Griggs, who looked very thoughtful. "Yes, that might
be done. I don't know of any such place, Chris, unless we could find
one somewhere up above the terraces."

"I've looked," said Chris, shaking his head. "If there was a way up
there it would be splendid, because we could put big stones ready, or
loosen some of the steps so that we could break them away after we'd
climbed up; but I can't find anything. The cliff hangs over so."

"Was that why you were poking about so up there this morning?" said Ned.

"Yes."

"Well, you might have told me."

"Yes, I might," said Chris, smiling, "but it would have been a pity."

"Why?"

"It would have spoiled your chance to have a laugh at me and call me a
Paddy."

"Hah!" said Griggs again, as Ned frowned and looked annoyed. "And you
couldn't find any way up there on to the top?"

"No," said Chris rather sadly. "