Another five minutes they entered a gorge so blocked with rocks that had
fallen from above that they had the greatest difficulty in leading the
horses over them.
"It could not be better," Dave said. "We can stop them here. Zeke, do
you go on with Dick, see how far this goes, and what the chances are
when we get out of it. If you can see any way of climbing the side of
the valley come back and tell us. Then I reckon the best thing will be
for you to take the horses down and go straight up, leaving Dick to tell
us exactly where you have gone up; then, as soon as it is quite dark, we
will be off and follow you; they won't be able to pick up the trail and
will guess we have gone straight down the valley. Anyhow, it will give
us another twelve hours' start."
Zeke nodded. "We may as well take the critters down at once," he said;
"it may be two or three miles before we can find a place where we can
get out of this valley, and there aint no use making two journeys of
it."
Somewhat reluctantly Dick followed Zeke, driving the horses before them.
They had been gone but five minutes when he heard the crack of a rifle
behind them.
"Do you think they are sure to be able to hold that place?"
"They are safe for some time, anyhow," Zeke said. "As soon as the
redskins see they are brought to a stand they will draw off and wait
till the bands that have gone up the other valleys join them. No doubt,
as soon as they had made out our tracks again, they sent a kipple of men
off to fetch them back, but I reckon they wouldn't have seen them till
they got four or five miles down, and by that time the other bands would
have been as much farther up the side-valleys, and the messengers would
have a long ride before they overtook them--ten or twelve miles,
maybe--and they would have all that to come down again, so they would be
pretty well four hours before they had joined the first band, and in
four hours it will be dark enough for Dave to draw off."
"There they go again!"
Shot after shot echoed among the cliffs. The gorge extended for another
mile, and then widened rapidly. A mile and a half farther the sides were
clad with trees, and the slope, although still steep, was, Zeke said,
possible for horses to scramble up.
"They will go up there safe enough," he said, "five of them with nothing
to carry, and the other four ain't heavy loaded. You see them two trees
standing alone on the crest there?"
"I see them, Zeke."
"Well, that is to be your mark. You will make them out plainly enough in
the moonlight. I shall be just down beyond them. I need not tell you to
be keerful how you go when you get beyond the shelter of the trees
below. Dave will know all about that. Now you can be off back again."
Dick started back at a run, and in less than half an hour joined the
other three among the rocks.
"Found a place, lad?"
"Yes; they have started up."
"I am glad you are back. These fellows look as if they were going to
make an attack on us. They are about five-and-twenty of them, and I
guess they know as well as we do that it will be dark before their
friends join them. However, I don't think they will make a rush; they
will lose heart when three or four of their number get shot, and weaken
when it comes to climbing these rocks in face of our six-shooters. Now,
do you two lads keep below; get down right among the rocks, so that you
can fire out through some hole between them, and directly you have fired
get out of the line, for a stray bullet might come in."
Scarcely had the boys taken their position, and looked along their
barrels, when they saw a dozen dark figures spring up among the rocks
fifty yards away.
Two shots were fired by the miners, and two of the Indians fell forward;
then, one after another, the lads fired, as they felt sure of their aim,
while at the same moment two sharper cracks sounded close to them, for
the Colt at forty yards is as deadly a weapon as a rifle. Three more of
the Indians fell, and the rest sank down behind rocks and opened fire at
the position held by the whites. These reloaded rapidly.
"Now keep a sharp lookout," Dave said, "but don't fire unless they rise
again. Joe and I will make it hot for them as they raise their heads to
take aim."
The rifles were fired but twice, and then the fire of the Indians
ceased.
"I think we have accounted for two more," Joe said. "We shan't hear any
more of them. Seven out of twenty-five is a sharp lesson, and the first
man who fell was their chief, I reckon, and they will wait till the
sub-chiefs with the other bands come up. Now, the sooner the sun goes
down the better. There is one thing, it will be dark down here an hour
before it is on the hill-tops."
"Why shouldn't we fall back at once?" Tom asked.
"Because, like enough, they will open fire occasionally, and if we
didn't reply they would think we had made off, and would follow us, and
pick up the trail where the horses left the valley. We have got to wait
here until it is too dark for them to follow the trail. The moment it is
dark enough for that we are off."
It was just getting dusk, when Dave said, suddenly:
"There is one of the other bands coming up. They are a good bit away
yet, but I can hear them."
Dick could only make out a low, continuous murmur that sounded to him
like a distant waterfall.
"What do you think, Joe," Dave said; "would it be safe to make a run for
it? We might beat off the first attack, but some of us are safe either
to get killed or hurt too badly to travel. They will talk for a quarter
of an hour at least after they come up, and by the time they find we
have gone, and got their horses over these rocks, and got down to the
mouth of this gorge, it will be too dark for them to follow the tracks."
"I am with you, Dave," Joe said, as he discharged his rifle. "That is
one more wiped out. He was just going to fire to see whether we were
here still. That has answered the question; now let us be off. Go as
quiet as you can, lads, and don't make the slightest noise. Just creep
along until we are three or four hundred yards away. You may be sure
that they are listening."
For a quarter of a mile they moved very cautiously.
"Now I think we are safe," Dave said, breaking into a run.
At a steady trot they kept on down the gorge. Just as they reached its
mouth, they heard a faint yell in the distance.
"They have found we are off. They will be five minutes and more before
they have brought up their horses and got over the rocks, and they will
go pretty cautious, because they will be expecting to be ambushed. It is
getting pretty dark now; we shall be in among the trees before they are
out."