ve me a drink out of your water-bottle? I'm pretty well
dried-up. I had to fling mine away so as to run lighter, and it was
getting so close that I was very nearly sending my rifle and cartridges
off as well. But I managed to bring them home.--Hah!" he continued,
after a long draught from the bottle Chris handed to him. "What fine
stuff water is. I think we've found out that, Squire Bourne, even if we
haven't found the gold."

"Hush! Listen!" cried the doctor, and he held up his hand.

For there was a peculiar reverberation from the rocks farther on towards
the rock city--a sound that thrilled the listeners through and through.

"Yes, that's them coming, sir," said Griggs coolly. "They're only
riding gently, though, and it doesn't seem as if they know what's
happened to them yet. We shall see them along that curve soon. Now,
doctor, will you give your orders about how we are to shoot?"

"Slowly and steadily," replied the doctor, "and always at the leading
men. Listen, Wilton; we three will fire one by one while you all hold
your hands to be ready to keep on while we reload, so that they will not
be able to advance without seeing their men constantly falling. There
must be no excitement, always a careful, steady aim."

"When shall we begin?" asked Wilton.

"As soon as the first man rides out into the open yonder."

"Then it's time to begin at once, sir," said Wilton sharply, "for here
they come."

"Yes," said the doctor firmly. "Keep well in cover, every one. Wait
till I give the word. I want the leaders to see that the way is barred
against their retreat."

"They're beginning to see it already," said Griggs, as about twenty of
the Indians rode round the curve into sight, and their quick eyes
grasped the fact at once that something had happened at the gap since
they passed by.

"Look out! 'Ware arrows," said Griggs, in a low, deep growl. "Tell
'em, doctor, that they needn't mind those plaything toys so long as they
keep well under cover."

"We can hear what you say," said Bourne, and an anxious half-minute
passed, before there was a sudden yell, sounding wild and harsh, to echo
and re-echo from the mighty walls on either side, while as it went
reverberating on from side to side, to die away in the distance, there
was another shout, and close upon it the whizz of a flight of arrows,
and then a tinkling, splintering sound as they struck against the
stones, to snap or glance off, the air just ab