eeing no enemies, pushed on to our camping-ground. I
must say that I was very glad to get there without meeting with the
Flintheads. I felt sure that as soon as they found out the fate of
their friends, they would track us, and, if they could, not leave one of
our party alive. Probably Laban and others thought the same, but wisely
kept their thoughts to themselves.

We fortified ourselves as usual, and kept a strict watch during the
night. The weather was much less cold than it had been; indeed, there
were evident signs of the coming of spring, and it became more than ever
evident that we must push on before the frozen-up torrents should again
burst forth, and render many spots impassable. After a hurried
breakfast, we were once more on our way; we marched in true military
order, with an advanced and a rear guard; the first carried spades, and
acted as a pioneer corps. This morning I was in the rear guard, with
Obed and Short, and all the Indians with their old chief. We had
marched about a mile, and had just entered one of the defiles I have
spoken of, with lofty cliffs on each side, and the mountains rising, it
seemed, sheer up above our heads for thousands of feet, when I saw the
Indians prick up their ears; then they stopped and bent down to the
ground as if to listen. There was a great talking among them, and old
White Dog called to Short: and Short announced to us the unpleasant
information that we were pursued by a large body of Flintheads. They
could not have overtaken our party in a position more advantageous to
us; for, from the narrowness of the pass, even should they be very
superior in numbers, we could show as good a front as they could. While
our main body moved on with the women and children and goods, I and
about a dozen young men remained with the Indians to defend the pass,
and to drive back, if we could, our enemies.

"There's one thing we may look for," observed Sam Short; "they'll fight
to the last gasp, rather than lose the chance of their revenge; only
don't let any of us get into their hands alive, that's all; they'd try
our nerves in a way we should not like, depend on that."

Every man among us looked to his rifle, and felt that his hunting-knife
was ready to his hand in his belt. We advanced a little farther, and
then halted at a spot where it seemed impossible that the Indians could
scale the heights to get at us. We had not long to wait. Suddenly
before us appeared a band of