y. "Went up like gunpowder.
And the Indians yelled and howled at us from the sidehills all the
time."

The raiders had fired a few defiant and random shots in the direction of
the howling, and then, after collecting the ponies that had not
stampeded, rode slowly back the way they had come.

"Didn't see anything of our three horses?" I asked.

"Nary hoss," said Buck Barry. "I figger they jest nat'rally stampeded
off when the row started."

"Are you sure those were the same Indians?" I asked.

A long silence fell.

"Well, what if they wasn't--and that's by no means sure," demanded Buck
Barry at last, a little defiantly. "The whole lot is thieves and
murderers; and if they'd had a chance at us, you bet they'd have taken
it. And we showed the red devils they can't monkey with us!"

I looked toward the cross over Vasquez, murdered as wantonly as ever man
was murdered for plunder, and could find nothing to say. Whatever the
eternal equities of the case may be--and long since I have given up
trying to guess what they are--the cold, practical fact remains, that
never during our stay on the Porcupine did any Indian come near us
again. And I am convinced that if the initial stealing of horses and
murder had gone without reprisal, we should have been a second time and
more boldly attacked. But if that was the wrong village, what a train of
reprisals and reprisals again in turn we may have laid!

"Only we didn't start it, and never would have!" persisted Johnny
stoutly.

CHAPTER XXVI

WE SEND OUT OUR TREASURE

Though these Indian troubles had nothing to do with it, nevertheless
they marked the beginning of our change of luck. We suffered no definite
misfortunes; but things did not go well. The slight malarial attack of
Don Gaspar was the first of an annoying series. I suppose we had all
been inoculated on the marshes of the Sacramento, and the disease had
remained latent in our systems. The hard work in the open air had kept
us healthy; but the fever only awaited the favourable moment of
depression or of overwork. The combination of ice cold water around our
legs and burning sun on our heads was not the best in the world.
Fortunately Yank, who came from an ague country, had had foresight
enough to bring a supply of quinine. For two months one or the other of
us was ailing; and once for a few days five of us were down!

Then, too, I think the zest of the game was palling on us a little,
strange as it may seem