stant after, his exclamation of delight was changed to
one of dismay, as a flight of arrows and the ping of rifle bullets
whistled around the party, while the dread war-whoop of their Indian
assailants burst forth in all its shrill discordancy.

"Who--ah--ah--ah--ah--oop!"

STORY ONE, CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

A FIGHT FOR LIFE!

In the excitement of starting the stamps, the usual precautions which
had been previously practised, of posting sentinels and keeping their
arms ready, were for the moment forgotten; but after the first startle
of surprise at being so unexpectedly attacked passed over, there was a
general rush to cover of all the members of the party, behind the
breastwork of earth that the young engineer had caused to be thrown up
round the spot facing the river all along its right bank, the men
catching up their rifles and cartridge-pouches--which lay here and there
about as they had dropped them in their expectancy while waiting the
result of the weighing--as they ran to shelter themselves and prepared
to return the fire of their foes.

All the miners rushed to the breastwork save one, and that was Seth.

At the instant he turned, like his comrades, to seek the protection of
the rampart, towards which the others hastened, an arrow struck Sailor
Bill slanting-wise across his forehead, and, tossing up his hands, the
poor boy, who was standing on the timber which led to the wheel, tumbled
over into the foaming water below that was seething like a whirlpool.

Uttering a frenzied ejaculation of anguish and grief, Seth plunged into
the flood, and an instant after dragged forth Sailor Bill's body,
heedless of the arrows and bullets of the Indians, the former of which
darkened the air in their passage around him, while the latter whistled
through his garments.

The intrepid fellow seemed to bear a charmed life, for not a shot nor a
barbed head of the savages' feathered missiles reached him as he pulled
the poor boy's apparently lifeless body from the water, Seth not being
content until he had hauled it up beneath the breastwork; when with a
shout of vengeance he seized his rifle and set to work to aid the others
in dealing death on those who had, as he thought, killed his protege.

It was a terrific fight whilst it lasted.

Mingled with the war-whoop of the Sioux, which was repeated ever and
anon, as if to excite them anew to the carnage, came the fierce
exclamations of the miners, and the calm word of comm