"It's just the reptiles; there's forty of 'em if there's one, an'
they've got a white man bound with 'em; no doubt from what you said of
him, Slugs, it's Macdonell; but I don't see Wapaw. I fear me that his
days are over. Now, then, lads, here's our plan: we'll attack them from
six different points at once. We'll all give the war-whoop at the same
moment, takin' the word from Walter there, who's got a loud pipe of his
own, then when the varmints start to their feet--for I don't like the
notion o' firin' at men off their guard--Walter, Larry, an' Stiff will
fire. Black Swan, Slugs, an' I will reserve our fire while you reload;
the reptiles will scatter, of course, an' we'll give 'em a volley an' a
united yell as they cut stick, that'll keep 'em from waitin' for more."
The plan thus hastily sketched was at once carried out. Advancing
stealthily to their several stations, the six men, as it were,
surrounded the savages, who, not dreaming of pursuit, had neglected to
place sentinels round the camp. When Walter's loud "halloo!" rang in
their ears, the whole band sprang to their feet, and seized their arms,
but three shots laid three of them dead on the ground. As they fled
right and left the reserve fired, and shot three others, among whom was
Hawk himself. Black Swan had picked him out, and shot him through the
head. Before they were quite out of shot, the three who had first fired
had reloaded and fired again with some effect, for blood was afterwards
observed on the snow.
Slugs now made a rush into the camp to unbind Macdonell, but to his
horror he discovered that a knife was plunged up to the handle in his
breast, and that he was almost dead. Hawk had evidently committed this
cowardly deed on the first alarm, for the knife was known to be his.
Macdonell tried hard to speak, but all that he was able to say was,
"Wapaw, wounded, escaped--follow." Then his head fell back, and he
died. From the few words thus uttered, however, the pursuers concluded
that Wapaw was not dead, but wounded, and that he had escaped.
"If that be so," said Walter, "then they must have been on Wapaw's
tracks, an' if we search we shall find 'em, an' may follow 'em up."
"True," said Slugs, "and the sooner we're away from this the better, for
the reptiles may return, and find us not so strong a band as they
think."
Acting on this advice, the whole party set off at once. Wapaw's track
was soon discovered, being, of course, a solitary one, and in advance of
his enemies, who were in pursuit. Following the track with untiring
vigour, the party found that it led them out of the lower country into a
region high up amongst the hills.