trail. The entire band stopped abruptly at a signal from Kit Carson, and a m

gested one of the men. "H

ested another. "They may

le in readiness for instant use, and all alike striving to keep watch on t

ief time he returned saying: "The man is dead. He had

urge smallpox was among the Indian tribes. Entire vil

men. "Is this redskin left here for us, or do

guide quietly. "At all event

men. "I have had the smallpox and I'll go

ted, and as soon as the dead body had been re

everal times he had dropped behind the little cavalcade and as frequently had gone in advance of the body. It seemed more and more strange to Reuben that a ma

he advance guard, hastily rejoined his fellows and said: "There are

nquired one of the

ckfe

they

es

horses h

many horses as

they know we

no doubt

shall

e the

can't be done! We ha

quietly. "Now if you'll do jus

cted to advance along the trail toward the Indians. The other four, together with their prisoner, were to be concealed in a cluster of bushes near which the halt had been made. Just what the young I

"see that you do not expose yourselves. Every one of you hide and keep hidden until we have joined you. You may think

gether with his two companions, started along the trail in

ndful of the danger that confronted him. They had left their ponies behind them, and now as they drew near the place where they were expecting to behold the Bla

ushes on either side of the trail, run back a few feet, and then come out where you can be seen again. We must make these re

covery of their presence was greeted by a shout, but as yet none of t

ad them to believe that there were more in the party than at first appeared. Soon after the war-whoop of the Blackfeet had been heard Kit Carson and his companion

said Kit Carson in a low voice to Reuben. "We'll fix them thi

that their own friends were not far back on the trail; so he was not unduly alarmed. Somehow his complete c

e confidence of the attacking party was unabated. If Kit Carson was correct in his statement that the band following them was one which

ng war-whoops. The faces of the warriors, smeared with war-paint, were terrifying, and every time Reuben glanced behind him his

sed still closer in their pursuit. Indeed they were almost upon the heels of the f

he bushes, and almost as if in response to this action the thicket resounded with the reports of the guns. The resounding yell of triumph from the eager Blackfeet was lost in the midst of the roar of the guns. Clouds of smoke slowly rose above the bushes and hid the scene from the sight of the anxious defenders. However, as soon as t

weapons of the trappers had been reloaded and again the reports of the rifles rang out. With wild cries of terror the Ind

he bodies of ten of the Indians that had fallen under the fire of the trappers. Brave as the redmen had been, too late they had d

e had been hit in the shower of arrows that had fallen upon them. Fortunately no one had been injured, for the Indians had fired wi

ppen next?" i

say," replie

they will at

ned a lesson which they w

can go ri

de quietly, "although I am sure tha

e you af

ll try to steal our horses, and if we were trapping here they would try to get our t

nk we had bett

y. "The safest thing for us will be to show the Blackfeet th

er, that not all of the men were of the same mind as their leader and that some were still fearful of attacks by the band wh