y frightened. The
Indian, failing to mount, took hold of the pony's long, trailing halter
and allowed the animal to drag him away.

Just at this point Broken Feather darted out from behind the boulder,
making straight for the pony and the wounded brave.

Kiddie, still watching, naturally supposed that the chief was about to
help the wounded man to mount, as any civilized soldier would have done.
But this was not Broken Feather's way. Seizing the bight of the halter,
he snatched it from the other's grip, while at the same time he struck
the wounded Indian a fierce blow with his closed fist, full in the face,
which sent him reeling to the ground.

Without a backward glance of pity or excuse, Broken Feather himself leapt
to the pony's back, urged the animal to a gallop, and sped off, rallying
his remaining warriors to a precipitate retreat.

"Coward and cur!" murmured Kiddie between his teeth. And calling a
hurried command to Nick Undrell, he strode out to give help to the
wounded Indian, carrying him on his shoulder to one of the wagons.

The Indian's nose was broken. Kiddie fixed it into shape with sticking
plaster. He also extracted a bullet from the man's back and bandaged the
wound.

"We'll leave him lyin' here on the trail," he decided. "His pards 'll
look after him and the others that are wounded, when they come along.
They'll soon know what's happened when they scout around. Guess they'll
not be eager t' follow us up."

"Well, this outfit o' yourn hasn't suffered anyways serious," observed
Nick Undrell, when all was ready for a new start. "I've had a look
round, an', barrin' a few splinters took off the wagons, an' some holes
pierced in the canvas covers, we've not taken a whole lot of harm. Jim
Thurston here's th' only one as got badly hit. That broken bone in his
arm 'll take a consid'rable time ter git well. It'll be weeks 'fore Jim
kin ride again in the Pony Express."

Kiddie was giving a professional bandaging to Thurston's wound.

"You a rider in the Pony Express business, then, Jim?" he asked.

"Bin at it fer a couple of years," Jim answered. "That's what I'm
worrying about. I'm figurin' as they'll fire me, slick, fer takin' on a
job like this. 'Tain't in th' agreement that I sh'd go foolin' around
after hostile Injuns in my off time. I shall be sacked, sure. An' me
with a wife an' family, too."

"No need to worry, Jim," Kiddie assured the man. "You'll not get the
sack, and your