uld, my lad. What do you say to going
across and having a search?"

"Yes; let's go at once," cried Chris.

"Aren't you too stiff?"

"Stiff? No. Come along!"

At that moment Ned, who had been staring hard at the opposite terraces,
suddenly caught Griggs by the arm, gripping it sharply.

"What's the matter?"

"Keep quiet! Don't move," said the boy in a whisper, though no one
could have heard from the spot at which he looked. "There's something
moving about on that top terrace across yonder."

"A bear?" said Chris eagerly.

"Perhaps. No; it's standing up now."

"Well, bears do that sometimes."

"It's so far-off, I can't quite make out," said Ned excitedly. "Ah!
There's another--and another. Why, there are six or seven crawling
about yonder."

"Then they're not likely to be bears," said Griggs. "Where's your
glass?"

"Up in the lookout. I'll go and fetch it."

"Yes, and be smart," cried Griggs. Then, as the boy hurried away to
climb up to the watching place--"I won't give any alarm yet till we're
quite sure. But if it's the enemy they've some game on there, and
there's going to be more sharp shooting. Chris, my lad, there's no
doubt about it now. There's a way down from the top of the cliff to
that top terrace yonder, and that means there must be a way up to it
from below. Your plan's cutting two ways. It's giving us a way to get
clear of the enemy, and showing us that we've been in greater danger
than we thought for. Now see what you can make out. Your eyes are
younger than mine."

"Yes, but yours are better trained to see long distances," replied
Chris, as he shaded his eyes and had a good long look, the American
changing his position and doing the same.

"I can only see two," said Chris at last, "and I think they're men."

"I can see three," said Griggs, "and I'm not going to say I think, for
I'm sure they're Indians."

Chris's first thought was of his mustang.

"What about the mules and ponies?" he said excitedly.

"I don't think their arrows could reach them," said Griggs thoughtfully;
"but the brutes mean some mischief, and the sooner we begin to teach
them that they are trespassing the better. Can you help me to take a
shot at them? Or are you too stiff?"

"I can manage," said Chris, and following the American they encountered
Ned returning from the lookout.

"Indians," he cried. "I've looked. They're after the ponies and mules
again."

"Have you given the alarm?"