s riding was thickly wooded with willows
and larch trees, and far in advance of him he saw that the birds had
been disturbed. They were in agitated flight over the tree-tops.
Above the thudding of his pony's hoofs he heard the raucous squawk of a
jay--the most alert of sentinels. It was not at his own approach that
the birds were alarmed, but something which was happening nearer to
them in the woodland glades.

Kiddie was not more concerned than usual; he was not even suspicious of
coming danger, nor did he alter by so much as an inch his seat in the
saddle or tighten his grip on the bridle reins.

At the mouth of the gorge, however, he suddenly became apprehensive
that some human enemy was lurking in ambush. He remembered the
incident of the poisoned arrow. His pony had changed its stride to a
less measured gallop, bounding forward at an increased pace, with head
lowered, muzzle outstretched and ears thrown back.

Kiddie leant over the pony's fluttering mane, searchingly glancing from
side to side and in front of him. He was going at racing speed, but
his practical eyes were alert to observe every tiny sign, and none
escaped him.

He could see nothing but the trees and rocks as he flashed past them;
nothing to cause him serious alarm. It seemed to him that if there had
been any hidden danger he had already gone beyond it. But there might
still be some unsuspected peril at the far side of the projecting cliff
where, as he knew, the trail made an abrupt turn.

He shifted his feet in the stirrups to secure a firmer grip of the
irons. As he did so, the pony suddenly swerved. At the same instant
the string with which the girth had been improperly mended broke. The
whole saddle moved ominously from its true place on the animal's back.

Kiddie preserved his balanced seat only for a few difficult moments.
His left foot lost its sure hold in the stirrup, and presently slipped
out of it altogether. The pressure of his right foot on the other
stirrup caused the saddle to move still farther. Now that the girth
straps were flying loose there was nothing but the rider's weight to
hold it on the pony's back.

It was at this awkward moment of personal insecurity that he became
aware that many galloping horses were close behind him. He did not
need to look back over his shoulder to learn that he was being hotly
pursued by a band of mounted Indians.

They had been lying in wait for him, well hidden among the screen