less. There was a wild screech as the crowd stopped in
their broken charge, unwilling to face the deadly barrier of bullets.

"Cease fire!" cried Kiddie, lowering his rifle. "Cease fire, Nick.
We've checked 'em, sure. Don't you see? Order your men ter quit
shootin'."

"Not yet," objected Nick, still using his gun. "We ain't finished yet,
no more'n they. See the rooster in the fur cap--him ridin' the piebald
mustang? He ain't done shootin' yet. He's figurin' ter pick you off.
Bin at it all the time. Snakes! Why, it's Broken Feather hisself!
Stand back! Leave him ter me, sir. Git back an' see ter them
hosses--and the boy."

As he spoke Nick again pressed his trigger. Kiddie saw the mustang rear
on its hind legs, pawing the air as it pivoted round, and then fall over
with a heavy thud. But its rider leapt clear, flung himself flat behind
his fallen pony, and continued to shoot.

[Illustration: Kiddie saw the mustang rear on its hind legs.]

"Jim's hit!" cried a voice from the wagon. "He's hit bad."

"Alf'll look after him," called Nick, thrusting a new clip of cartridges
into his gun. "Th' rest o' you keep on shootin'. Keep a watch on the
side slopes. Some of 'em's liable ter sneak past."

Some of the dismounted Indians now tried to work round to the flanks,
crawling like snakes through the grass and taking shelter behind bush and
boulder. But the sharp-eyed frontiersmen quickly detected them, and none
got through.

Kiddie saw this new danger, however, and, taking Nick's advice, he leapt
on his waiting pony and rode back to the rear, to assure himself that
Rube and the horses were safe.

Rube was faithfully at his post, minding the horses and watching the back
trail, but fretting sorely at being kept away from the excitement of the
fighting.

"All right," nodded Kiddie, riding up to him. "Drive the horses back
there, to the shelter of the ravine, where the stream comes down. Give
them a drink. They'll be glad of it. And--stop there with them. I'll
give you a sign when I want you to bring them along."

It seemed to Rube then that Kiddie wanted to get him out of the way, and
he wondered at Kiddie's reasons for keeping him from participating in the
battle.

Young though he was, and he was only fourteen, Rube considered himself
quite capable of handling a gun and looking after himself. And he wasn't
a coward. Why could he not be allowed even to look on from a safe
shelter?

Kiddie's r