of is o

under one of the sl

smoke coming through the cracks where the wall and the flooring of the cabin joined. The breeze was in

the boys had thoughtfully provided, he ran to the window beneath which the conflagration was

At once the smoke began to pour into the cabin, setting them all to c

and a flash, and one of the Comanches let go of the shield and danced around with a

satisfactory comment. "But be careful, Dan,

l Poke Stover dashed the water on the blaze and put the most

ng to catch his breath, while Dan locked the shutter again. "We may nee

was the reply. "But perhaps we

spot you on the

they won't be a-lookin' at the roof. But wait a minit, till I'm ready fer ye!" he added, as he laboured up the ladder with

also showed his hat on a stick, and in a trice came several shots, one going through the head-coveri

d the remainder to the ground, far enough away from the cabin to keep it from doing further harm. One shot was ai

loft, while Ralph closed the shutter. His beard was singed in two places and his fac

egan to speculate upon the next probable movement of the Comanches

Ralph. "But perhaps he has been unable

The buck ague don't go around here." By buck ague the frontiersman meant the fright which occ

of the tribe had arrived, until they numbered eighteen or twenty, the majority of whom we

ts too late," observed Poke Stover. "Perhaps they'll give us another rush before they with

e from the timber skirting the burn, the second to come up behind the cabin, and the third to make a dash from behind

an, who was watching the timber in fro

crowd from the she

coming from the rear, and there is no telling but what there may be still more. We must do our best and fight to a finish, for they are o

. A yell went up as one of the redskins threw up his arms and fell. But then the others came on faster than ever, yelling and shouting in a ma

h fired simultaneously. Whether the shots were effective t

very direction, trying to batter down the door with the log, and lik

al gun and pistol shots were exchanged. Once an Indian fired through a port-hole

trampled on the fire to extinguish it, the fro

ning to tell, and already there was a long crack in the o

through!" And they did, with such serious results that the party with the ram dropped that instrument and ran to the opposite s

re came a scattering volley of rifle-shots from the timber near the river, answered almost instantly by

re comforting to the two boys than at that moment. Then followed more shots, some striking the cabin

amed Whippler, who had lost his wife in a raid about a yea

redskin with his long hunting-knife. He brought the red man down with a stroke in the breast, and was then laid low himself by Red Pony, an under chief, who was in c

Mr. Radbury, as he leaped from the mustan

ht, father," an

parent, reverently. "But, see, your

nly a s

to get to them. You are a brave

in Ralph. "If it hadn't been for Mr. Sto

out the fire we would have been burnt out, and the

ing the frontiersman's horny hand. "But, as you are all right,

praise, although not averse to some laudatory speech. "We oug

. "I'd rather do that than r

he rear," answered the father. "Remember, the

informed them that he had brought with him twenty-four men, including Jim Bowie, who had happened to be in Gonzales at the time. Soon the party of

E TRAIL OF TH