his way to his horse and
comrades.

Instead of doing so, he turned full front towards us, raised his arm in
the air, shook his clenched fist in a menacing manner, accompanying the
action with a torrent of defiant speech.

Of what he said, we understood but the concluding phrase, and that was
the bitter and blasphemous _carajo_! that hissed through his teeth with
the energetic aspiration of rage and revenge.

That oath was the last word he ever uttered; his parting breath scarcely
carried it from his lips ere he ceased to live. I heard the fierce
word, and almost simultaneously the crack of a rifle, fired close to my
ear. I saw the dust puff out from the embroidered spencer of the
Mexican, and directly over his heart; I saw his hand pass rapidly to the
spot, and the next moment I saw him fall forward upon his face!

Without a groan, without a struggle, he lay as he had fallen, spread,
dead, and motionless upon the prairie!

"Thur now, an damn yur carajo!" cried a voice at my shoulder; "ee won't
_bid_ for me agin, ye skunk--thet yur won't!"

Though I turned involuntarily to the speaker it was not for an
explanation. Of course, it was Rube who spoke. His rifle was smoking
at the muzzle, and he was proceeding to reload it.

"Wa-hoo--woop!" continued he, uttering his wild war-cry; "thet shortens
thur count, I reck'n. Another nick for Targuts! Gi' me _her_ for a
gun. Wagh! a long pull it wur for the ole weepun; an the glint in my
eyes too! The niggur riled me, or I wudn't a risked it. Hold yur
hosses, boys!" he continued in a more earnest tone: "don't fire till I'm
loaded--for yur lives, don't!"

"All right, Rube!" cried Garey, who hastily passing under the belly of
his horse, had re-entered the square, and once more handled his rifle.
"All right, old boy! Ne'er a fear! we'll wait for ye."

Somewhat to our surprise, Rube was allowed ample time to reload, and our
three barrels once more protruded over the shoulders of Garey's horse.
Our animals still held their respective positions. Three of them were
too well used to such scenes, to be startled by the detonation of a
rifle; and the fourth, fastened as he was, kept his place perforce.

I say, to our surprise we were allowed time to get into our old
vantage-ground; for we had expected an immediate charge from the
guerrilla.

Vengeance for the death of their comrade would give them courage enough
for that; so thought we; but we were mistaken, as their ire