seen father and s

was h

ract my attention. I waved a bed sheet at him and then he threw his coat

was goi

an object from one and then catch it meant to go away

eave us alone," mused Ralph,

us until dark. Perhaps father heard some of their powwowing, or so

as well clo

the buckets full of water first. We

t in one of the cows, tying her close to the door. "Now we'll have milk and meat too, if the worst

low, but left the door unbarred, and then went to th

," remarked Ralph. "But I don't care to play sol

is. Secretly he loved soldiering much better than life on the ranch, but in those days

he meantime, the boys, having had no dinner, grew hungry, and Ralph spent some time below in boilin

hed to his brother. "But I reckon my first big ga

anyhow," answered Dan. "It seems they can stay quiet just so

the loft after his repast

oming toward th

u know

he is a C

ar-pa

or not, but he is daubed full of

war-paint. I

gun is on his back, and he doesn'

ed the younger lad. "He may be

, too," concluded Dan, and went below. With quickness he hid away all the weapons bu

"Then if he attacks one or the o

lship," returned Da

ryard, and Dan walked outside to meet him. As soon

in guttural tones, me

you?" ret

in here," and the red ma

ou been doing,-eating

ride and must lay down," groaned the savage, grating his teet

ed by this appeal, for he knew that the Indians suffer

," he answered. "Wolf Ear had bette

lly half a minute. He understood that he was not wan

medicine for Wolf E

what would be

ite boy's

Gonzales to bring along some of the lumbermen to look over the plans for a saw

uth, trying to conceal his

r not wait for him. Perhaps you'll feel bette

for his gun. But before he could raise the weapon both Dan and Ralph had him covered wi

Dan, sternly. "I am not

" grinned the savage, fe

un, and I want you t

l go," he said, loftily. "But Wolf Ear shall not forget you!" And he turned

ph, in a low voice. "If you don't he'll tr

Ear, you must leave your gun with us. You c

hear, then he turned back to look a

igging his heels into his pony's sides he set off at a breakneck pace for the neare

m the chance to say that we opened the fight. If we start th

ay of the cabin. Bang! went the redskin's gun, and the bullet embedded itself in the door-post close to t

, the shot, coming so close, temporarily

to his father. Leaping up to the loft, he opened the firing-hole fronting the direction Wol

asked Ralph, from t

he's

ll bring the othe

in without one or more of them being shot, and they are too afraid of their hide

r comes back

e they are driving off

ll we know they may be up b

iately surrounding the cabin. Each of the boys stationed himself in the lo

al mooing of the cow tied near the door broke the stillness around the cabin. From the woods

both lads to thump vigorously within their breasts.

per. "Ralph, they must be coming now, and if they are,

from the younger Radbury. "Ca

d the river. It's an Indian with a gun! He's turning t

hours to the boys, whose hearts thumped as never befo

pered Dan, at last. "Perhaps I had b

ame to a halt in the clearing, midway between the cabin and the timber. The halt, however, was only