gged him unceremoniously to the
camp-fire, which an armful of dry fuel caused to blaze up brightly.

"_Madre de Dios!_ I know not! I know not!" cried the man, glaring
wildly about him and clinging to Ham. "Unless it was the devil of
these evil mountains. I lay sleeping, rolled up in my blanket,
when,--poof!--something hit my side and something big and ugly tumble
all over me and I see something black and awful jump in the darkness and
I grab my pistol I always sleep with me in blanket and shoot--bang!--and
the big black thing give one great jump and vanish, just like a black
devil, in the darkness. _Santissima!_ I know not what he was, if he was
not the devil! I--"

"I saw him rush by me so close that I might have touched him with my
rifle," here broke in Thure; "but, before I could speak or shoot, he had
disappeared in the darkness, and then came Pedro's shot and yells."

"Look to the horses!" cried Mr. Conroyal. "See that everything is safe!"

At that moment Dickson appeared in the circle of light made by the
camp-fire.

"All the horses are safe," he said. "Nothing appears to be missing. What
does all this excitement mean? I saw nothing, heard nothing, until the
shooting and yelling began--" He stopped abruptly and glanced swiftly
around. "Mollie! Where's Mollie?" and he sprang toward the tent.

"Gosh! I plumb forgot th' Leetle Woman! She shore otter have showed up
afore this," and Ham's face whitened, as his eyes followed Dickson into
the little tent.

The fire was now burning so brightly that the tent showed plainly in its
ruddy light; and the eyes of all fixed themselves on it, a look of
dreadful apprehension on each whitening face.

For a moment all was silent after Dickson disappeared in the tent; and
then came a yell of horror that made every man jump for the tent, just
as Dickson staggered out with a squirming bundle in his arms, that he
quickly laid down on the ground and began frantically untying the
deerskin thongs with which it was tightly bound.

"Great God, if 'tain't th' Leetle Woman!" and Ham bent excitedly and
with his knife began cutting the thongs, which bound Mrs. Dickson, head
and all, in her own blanket as tightly as an Egyptian mummy.

In a moment her body was free; but, when the blanket was lifted from her
face, her mouth was found to be so tightly stuffed, with a piece of
cloth torn from her own dress, that she could not utter an audible
sound. Dickson's strong fingers quickly pulled