about time that we showed them that we are taking a little interest in these proceedings."

He brought his rifle up and laid his clinched cheek against it as he aimed at the foremost of the pack. One Indian whirled suddenly around and dropped, badly wounded. The rest of them disappeared in a flash.

There came a fierce volley from a hundred rifles and a white flight of arrows from the concealed Indians. They kept it up for awhile, too, in a burst of savage rage that sent a chill to my heart.

The rocks around and back of us were spattered with lead, but that was the extent of the damage.

"You got a salute that time for fair, Jim," I said.

"Yes," he replied, "and I got the Indian."

"Don't take another chance like that," I begged.

"Not till the next time," he replied.

So the day wore on, with occasional flurries like the above to keep things moving. If the day before had been stormy and rainy, this made up for it. The sun shone with the strong directness of the higher altitudes. All the moisture had been dried up on top of our rock.

The horses began to get restless for water. Jim moistened their tongues as best he could, but we had to be saving of our little supply of water.

The night passed with even less of incident than the previous one. It was evident that the Indians were perfectly satisfied with their waiting game, as well they might. It looked a sure thing.

The next day things looked bad for us. There seemed a peculiar sultriness in the air that was unusual in the mountains. There was a smoky haze over everything.

"It looks like Indian summer," said Jim.

"Indeed, it ought to with that crowd down there," I said.

"That's a good one," grinned Jim, "I wonder if those guys wouldn't appreciate the joke. Come up here, big Injun, I want to tell you something."

But none of them accepted Jim's cordial invitation. A few of the more cultured and learned swore at us in bad English. But I guess all swearing is bad English.

As the day wore on I began to suffer acutely from thirst. I shall never forget that longing for water. It seemed as if I would be willing to sacrifice my life for a good, full, everlasting drink of the cool mountain stream that was gurgling only a few hundred feet away. But as far as getting to it was concerned, it might just as well have been in York State.

"I hope that Tom and the captain don't discover us and try to rescue us," said Jim, "for I very much fear it would be a great risk to no purpose."

"What do you expect to do?" I asked Jim. "We can't stand this many days."

"We will see to-night," remarked Jim, mysteriously.

I doubt if he really had any plan in mind. This was just to encourage me with the hope of some way of escape.

"Just look at the smoke rolling over the mountains, Jim!" I exclaimed.

It was about the middle of the afternoon and we had been so busy reconnoitering that we probably had not discovered it at first.

"It looks like a tremendous forest fire," said Jim, "and we will see it before night."

"What are we going to do if it comes our way?" I asked. "We will be perfectly helpless."