The undertaking of the chief was considered sufficient, and as a change
of food would be very acceptable to the little mining colony, the Doctor
made no difficulty about the matter, so the Beaver sent out scouts into
the plain to give the earliest notice of the appearance of danger, and
to supplement this, the Doctor posted Harry, their English follower, in
the best position on the mountain, with the powerful glass, so that he
might well sweep the plain, and give an earlier notice of the enemy's
coming than even the Indians could supply.
The Beaver looked very hard at the telescope, and said that it was very
great medicine, evidently feeling for it a high degree of respect. Then
certain other arrangements having been made, including the choice of
half-a-dozen of the Mexican greasers to carry the salmon that Bart said
laughingly they had not yet caught, the fishing party, which included
Bart, Joses, the Beaver, the interpreter, and six more Indians, all
started for the patch of forest.
They were all well-armed, and, in addition to their weapons, the Indians
had contrived some ingeniously formed three-pronged spears, keen as
lancets, and well barbed, ready for use in the war against the fish.
The deep rift leading down to the canyon was soon found, and this time
Bart approached cautiously, lest there should be another of the
rattle-tailed snakes lurking in a crevice of the rock; but this time
they had nothing of the kind to encounter. A magnificent deer, though,
sprang from a dense thicket, and Bart's rifle, like that of Joses, was
at his shoulder on the instant.
"No, no!" cried the Beaver, eagerly; and they lowered the pieces.
"Ah!" cried Bart, in a disappointed tone, "I had, just got a good sight
of him. I know I should not have missed."
"The Beaver's right, Master Bart," said Joses, quietly. "If we fired,
the sound might travel to the Apaches, and bring 'em down upon us. Best
not, my lad. We'll get the salmon without our guns."
They entered the "chimney," and, acquainted now with its peculiarities,
the party descended much more quickly than on the previous occasion.
The way was clearer, too, the vines and tangled growth having been
cleared at the first descent, when pieces of rock were removed, and
others placed in clefts and cracks to facilitate the walking, so that,
following the same plan again, there was a possibility of the slope
becoming in time quite an easy means of communication between the canyon
and the plain.
They reached the bottom in safety, and probably to make sure that there
should be no such accident as that to the Doctor occur unseen, the chief
took the precaution of planting the party on rocks out in the stream
well in view one of the other, and just where the fish would pass. He
then set a couple of his men to watch for danger, and the spearing
began.
"Now, Master Bart," said Joses, "sling your rifle as I do, and let's see
what you can do in spearing salmon."
"Hadn't we better leave our rifles ashore there, under the trees?"
replied Bart.
"Yes, my lad, if you want to be taken at a disadvantage. Why, Master
Bart, I should as soon think of leaving an arm or a leg ashore as my
rifle. No, my lad, there's no peace times out here; so no matter how
inconvenient it may be, sling your piece, and be always prepared for the
worst."
"Oh, all right, Joses," replied Bart, pettishly, and he slung his rifle.
"Oh, it's of no use for you to be huffy, my lad," growled Joses. "You
never know when danger's coming. I knowed a young fellow once up in the
great north plains. He'd been across the Alkali Desert in a bad time,
and had been choked with the heated dust and worried with the nasty
salty stuff that had filled his eyes and ears, so that when he got to a
branch of one of the rivers up there that was bubbling over rocks and
stones just as this may be, and--ah, stoopid! Missed him!" cried Joses,
after making a tremendous stab at a salmon.
"Well, Joses?"
Well! no, it wasn't well. He thought he must have a good swim, and so
he took off his clothes, laid his rifle up against the trunk of a big
pine-tree, and in he went, and began splashing about in the beautiful
cool clear water, which seemed to soften his skin, and melt off quite a
nasty salt crust that had made him itchy and almost mad for days.
Well, this was so good that he swam farther and farther, till he swam
right across to where the stream ran fast right under the steep rock,
not so big as this, but still so big and steep that a man could not have
climbed up it at the best of times, and--"Got him, my lad?" he
exclaimed, as he saw Bart make a vigorous thrust with his spear.
"Yes, I have him," cried Bart, excitedly, as he struggled with the
vigorous fish, a large one of fourteen or fifteen pounds' weight, one
which he successfully drew upon the rocks, and after gloating over its
silvery beauty, carried to the shore, returning just in time to see
Joses strike down his fish-spear, and drag out a fish a little larger
than the first one caught.
"That's a fine one, Master Bart," growled Joses, as he set off to step
from stone to stone to the bank, while Bart, eager and excited, stood
with poised spear, gazing intently down into the clear depths for the
next beauty that should come within his reach.
Just then one came up stream, saw the danger impending, and went off
like a flash through the water, turning slightly on his side and showing
his great silvery scales.
"Too late for him, Joses," cried Bart.
"Ah, you must be sharp with them, my lad, I can tell you," cried his
companion. "Well, as I was telling of you, the rock on the opposite
side of the river rose up like a wall, and there was just a shelf of
stone big enough for a man to land on before he tried to swim back.
Those stones, too, were right in the sunshine, and the wall behind them
was just the same, and they'd be nice and warm."
"How do you know, Joses?"
"How do I know? because I've swum across that river often, and it's very
cold--so cold that you're glad to get out and have a good warm on the
rocks before you try to swim back. Got him again?"
"Yes," replied Bart, who had made a successful thrust. "Only a small
one though."
"Not so bad, my lad; not so bad. He's a good eight or nine pounds.
Well, as I was telling you, this young man got out on the bit of a
shelf, and was warming himself, when his eyes nearly jumped out of his
head, for he saw half-a-dozen Injuns come from among the pine-trees, and
one of them, when he saw that young man there, ran loping towards where
the gun stood, caught it up, and took a quick aim at him. Now, then--
Ah, I've got you this time," cried Joses, spearing the largest fish yet
caught, dragging it out of the water, and taking it ashore.
"Fine one, Joses?" cried Bart.
"Yes; he's a pretty good one. Ah, you missed him again. It wants a
sharp poke, my lad. Well, now then," he added, as Bart, recovered
himself after an ineffectual thrust, "what ought that young man to have
done, Master Bart?"
"Taken a header into the river, dived, and swum for his life."
"Right, boy; but he was so scared and surprised that he sat there
staring at the Injun, and gave him a chance to fire at him, being so
near that the shot whistled by his ear and flattened on the rock behind,
and fell on the shelf where he was sitting."
"That woke him up, I suppose?" said Bart.
"It just did, my lad; and before the Indians knew where he was, he went
plop into the river and disappeared, and the Injun ran down to catch him
as he came up again."
"And," said Bart, quickly, "they didn't catch sight of his head when he
came above the water, because he swam up with the eddy into a dark pool
among some rocks, and squatted there, with only his nose above the
water, till they thought he was drowned, and went, and then he crept
out."
"Why, how did you know?" growled Joses.
"Because you've told me half-a-dozen times before. I recollect now,"
said Bart, "only you began it in a different way, so that I thought it
was a new story; and you were that young man, Joses."
"Course I was," growled the other; "but hang me if I tell you a story
again."
"Never mind, Joses; here's another," cried Bart, laughing.
"And here's a bigger one, Master Bart," said Joses, chuckling.
"What splendid sport!" cried Bart, as he followed Joses ashore with his
prize, and added it to the silvery heap.
"Ay, it ain't amiss. We shall give them a reg'lar treat in the camp,
that we shall."
"Look, Joses, the Beaver's got a monster. He has let it go. What's he
bounding ashore for like that?"
"Quick, Master Bart--danger!" cried Joses, excitedly, as a warning cry
rang along the river. "Look out! This way!"
"What's the danger?" cried Bart, leaping ashore and un-slinging his
rifle.
"Injun, my lad; don't you see 'em? they're coming down the canyon. This
way. Never mind the fish; make straight for the chimney. We can hold
that again 'em anyhow."
_Crack_--_crack_! went a couple of rifles from some distance up the
river, and the bullets cut the boughs of the trees above their heads.
Bart's immediate idea was to sink down amongst the herbage for cover and
return the shot, but the Beaver made a rush at him, shouting, "No, no,
no!" and taking his place, began to return the fire of the approaching
Indians, bidding Bart escape.
"I don't like leaving all that fish after all, Master Bart," said Joses;
"they'd be so uncommon good up yonder. Go it, you skunks! fire away,
and waste your powder! Yah! What bad shots your savages are! I don't
believe they could hit our mountain upstairs there! Hadn't we better
stop and drive them back, Beaver, and let the greasers carry away the
fish?"
_Crack_--_crack_--_crack_! rattled the rifles; and as the faint puffs of
smoke could be seen rising above the bushes and rocks high up the
canyon, the sounds of the firing echoed to and from the rocky sides till
they died away in the distance, and it seemed at last, as the firing
grew a little hotter, and was replied to briskly by Joses and the
Indians, that fifty or sixty people were firing on either side.
The attack was so fairly responded to that the Apaches were checked for
the time, and Joses raised himself from the place he had made his
rifle-pit, and called to the Mexican greasers to run and pick up the
fish, while he and the Indians covered them; but though he called
several times, not one responded.
"What's come of all them chaps, Master Bart?" he cried.
"I think they all got to the chimney, and began to climb up," replied
Bart.
"Just like 'em," growled Joses. "My word, what a brave set o' fellows
they are! I don't wonder at the Injun looking down upon 'em and making
faces, as if they was an inferior kind of beast. Ah, would you?"
Joses lowered himself down again, for a bullet had whizzed by in
unpleasant proximity to his head.
"Are you hurt, Joses?" cried Bart, half rising to join him.
"Keep down, will you, Master Bart! Hurt me? No. They might hit you.
I say, have you fired yet?"
"Yes, three times," replied Bart; "but I fired over their heads to
frighten them."
"Hark at that!" cried Joses; "just as if that would frighten an Injun.
It would make him laugh and come close, because you were such a bad
shot. It does more harm than good, my lad."
_Crack_!
Joses' rifle uttered its sharp report just then, and the firing ceased
from a spot whence shot after shot had been coming with the greatest
regularity, and the rough fellow turned grimly to his young companion.
"I don't like telling you to do it, Master Bart, because you're such a
young one, and it seems, of course, shocking to say shoot men. But then
you see these ain't hardly like men; they're more like rattlesnakes. We
haven't done them no harm, and we don't want to do them no harm, but all
the same they will come and they'll kill the lot of us if they can; so
the time has come when you must help us, for you're a good shot, my lad,
and every bullet you put into the Injun means one more chance for us to
save our scalps, and help the Doctor with his plans."
"Must I fire _at_ them then, Joses?" said Bart, sadly.
"Yes, my lad, you must. They're five or six times as many as we are,
and they're coming slowly on, creeping from bush to bush, so as to get a
closer shot at us. There, I tell you what you do; fire at their chests,
aim right at the painted skull they have there. That'll knock 'em down
and stop 'em, and it'll comfort you to think that they may get better
again."
"Don't talk foolery, Joses," cried Bart, angrily, "Do you think I'm a
child?"
Joses chuckled, and took aim at a bush that stood above a clump of
rocks, one from which another Indian was firing regularly; but just then
the Beaver's rifle sent forth its bullet, and Bart saw an Indian spring
up on to the rocks, utter a fierce yell, shake his rifle in the air, and
then fall headlong into the river.
"Saved my charge," said Joses, grimly. "There, I won't fool about with
you, Master Bart, but tell you the plain truth. It's struggle for life
out here; kill or be killed; and you must fight for yourself and your
friends like a man. For it isn't only to serve yourself, lad, but
others. It's stand by one another out here, man by man, and make
enemies feel that you are strong, or else make up your mind to go under
the grass."
Bart sighed and shuddered, for he more than once realised the truth of
what his companion said. But he hesitated no longer, for these savages
were as dangerous as the rattlesnakes of the plains, and he felt that
however painful to his feelings, however dreadful to have to shed human
blood, the time had come when he must either stand by his friends like a
man, or slink off like a cur.
Bart accepted the stern necessity, and watching the approach of the
Indians, determined only to fire when he saw pressing need.
The consequence was that a couple of minutes later he saw an Indian dart
from some bushes, and run a dozen yards to a rock by the edge of the
swift river, disappear behind it, and then suddenly his head and
shoulders appeared full in Bart's view; the Indian took quick aim, and
as the smoke rose from his rifle the Beaver uttered a low hissing sound,
and Bart knew that he was hit.
Not seriously apparently, for there was a shot from his hiding-place
directly after, and then Bart saw the Indian slowly draw himself up into
position again, partly over the top of the rock, from whence he was
evidently this time taking a long and careful aim at the brave chief,
who was risking his life for the sake of his English friends.
Bart hesitated no longer. Joses had said that he was a good shot. He
was, and a quick one; and never was his prowess more needed than at that
moment, when, with trembling hands, he brought his rifle to bear upon
the shoulders of the savage. Then for a moment his muscles felt like
iron; he drew the trigger, and almost simultaneously the rifle of the
savage rang out. Then, as the smoke cleared away, Bart saw him standing
erect upon the rock, clutching at vacancy, before falling backwards into
the river with a tremendous splash; and as Bart reloaded, his eyes
involuntarily turned towards the rushing stream, and he saw the
inanimate body swept swiftly by.
"What have I done!" he gasped, as the cold sweat broke out upon his
brow. "Horrible! What a deed to do!" and his eyes seemed fixed upon
the river in the vain expectation of seeing the wretched savage come
into sight again.
Just then he felt a touch upon his arm, and turning sharply found
himself face to face with the Beaver, whose shoulder was scored by a
bullet wound, from which the blood trickled slowly down over his chest.
As Bart faced him he smiled, and grasped the lad's hand, pressing it
between both of his.
"Saved Beaver's life," he said, softly. "Beaver never forgets. Bart is
brave chief."
Bart felt better now, and he had no time for farther thought, the peril
in which they were suddenly appearing too great.
For the Beaver pointed back to where the chimney offered the way of
escape.
"Time to go," the Beaver said. "Come."
And, setting the example, he began to creep from cover to cover, after
uttering a low cry, to which his followers responded by imitating their
leader's actions.
"Keep down low, Master Bart," whispered Joses. "That's the way. The
chimney's only about three hundred yards back. We shall soon be there,
and then we can laugh at these chaps once we get a good start up. We
must leave the fish though, worse luck. There won't be so many of 'em
to eat it though as there was at first. Hallo! How's that?"
The reason for his exclamation was a shot that whizzed by him--one fired
from a long way down the canyon in the way they were retreating, and, to
Bart's horror, a second and a third followed from the same direction,
with the effect that the savages who had attacked first gave a
triumphant yell, and began firing quicker than before.
"Taken between two fires, Master Bart," said Joses, coolly; "and if we
don't look out they'll be up to the chimney before we can get there, and
then--"
"We must sell our lives as dearly as we can, Joses," cried Bart.
"Good, lad--good, lad!" replied Joses, taking deadly aim at one of the
Indians up the river, and firing; "but my life ain't for sale. I want
it for some time to come."
"That's right; keep up the retreat. Well done, Beaver!"
This was an account of the action of the chief, who, calling upon three
of his men to follow him, dashed down stream towards the chimney,
regardless of risk, so as to hold the rear enemies in check, while Bart,
Joses, and the other three Indians did the same by the party up stream,
who, however, were rapidly approaching now.
"I want to know how those beggars managed to get down into the canyon
behind us," growled Joses, as he kept on steadily firing whenever he had
a chance. "They must have gone down somewhere many miles away. I say,
you mustn't lose a chance, my lad. Now then; back behind those rocks.
Let's run together."
_Crack_--_crack_--_crack_! went the Indians' rifles, and as the echoes
ran down the canyon, they yelled fiercely and pressed on, the Beaver's
men yelling back a defiance, and giving them shot for shot, one of which
took deadly effect.
There was a fierce yelling from down below as the savages pressed
upwards, and the perils of the whole party were rapidly increasing.
"Didn't touch you, did they, Master Bart?" cried Joses from his
hiding-place.
"No."
"Keep cool, then. Now, Injuns! Another run for it--quick!"
A dash was made after the Beaver to a fresh patch of cover, and the
firing from above and below became so fierce that the position grew one
of dire extremity.
"Look out, my lads!" cried the frontiersman; "they're getting together
for a rush. You must each bring down your man."
There was no mistaking the plan of the Indians now, and Bart could see
them clustering into some bushes just at the foot of the mountain where
it ran perpendicularly down, forming part of the canyon wall. They
seemed to be quite thirty strong, and a bold rush must have meant death
to the little party, unless they could reach the chimney; and apparently
the savages coming up from below had advanced so far that the Beaver had
not been able to seize that stronger point.
"Keep cool, Master Bart. We must stand fast, and give 'em such a sharp
fire as may check them. As soon as we've fired, you make a run for it,
my lad, straight for the chimney. Never mind anybody else, but risk the
firing, and run in and climb up as fast as you can."
"And what about you, Joses?" asked Bart.
"I'll stop and cover your retreat, my lad; and if we don't meet again,
tell the Doctor I did my best; and now God bless you! good-bye. Be
ready to fire."
"I'm ready, Joses, and I shan't go," replied Bart firmly.
"You won't go? But I order you to go, you young dog!" cried Joses,
fiercely.
"Well, of all the--look out, Beaver! Fire, Master Bart! Here they
come!"
Quite a volley rang out as some five-and-twenty Indians came leaping
forward, yelling like demons, and dashing down upon the little party.
Two of this number fell, but this did not check them, and they were
within fifty yards of Bart, who was rapidly re-charging, when Joses
roared out: "Knives--knives out! Don't run!"
The bravery of the Indians, of Joses, and Bart would have gone as
nothing at such a time as this, for they were so terribly outnumbered
that all they could have done would have been to sell their lives as
dearly as they could. In fact, their fates seemed to be sealed, when
help came in a very unexpected way, and turned the tide of affairs.
The savage Apaches had reduced the distance to thirty yards now, and
Bart felt quite dizzy with excitement as he fired his piece and brought
down one of the enemy, whose ghastly, painted breasts seemed to add to
the horror of the situation.
Another moment or two, and then he knew that the struggle would come,
and dropping his rifle, he wrenched his knife from its light sheath,
when suddenly there was a fierce volley from on high--a fire that took
the Indians in the rear. Six fell, and the rest, stunned by this
terrible attack from a fresh quarter, turned on the instant, and fled up
the canyon, followed by a parting fire from which a couple more fell.
"Hurray!" shouted Joses; "now for the chimney. Come, Master Bart! Now,
Beaver--now's your time!"
They ran from cover to cover, meeting shot after shot from below, and in
a minute were close up with the Beaver and his three men, who were hard
pressed by the advancing party.
"Now, Beaver," cried Joses, finishing the re-loading of his piece, "what
do you say to a bold rash forward--right to the mouth of the chimney?"
"Yes," said the chief; "shoot much first."
"Good," cried Joses. "Now, Master Bart, fire three or four times
wherever there's a chance, and then re-load and forward."
These orders were carried out with so good an effect that the Apaches
below were for the moment checked, and seemed staggered by this
accession of strength, giving the little party an opportunity to make
their bold advance, running from bush to bush and from rock to rock
until they were well up to the mouth of the chimney, but now in terribly
close quarters with their enemies, who held their fire, expecting that
the advance would be continued right on to a hand-to-hand encounter.
Then there was a pause and a dead silence, during which, in obedience to
signs made by the Beaver, first one and then another crept behind the
bushes to the mouth of the chimney, entered it, and began to ascend.
There was a bit of a fight between Bart and Joses as to which should be
first, with the result that the latter went first, then Bart followed,
and the Beaver came last.
So close was it, though, that as they climbed up the steep narrow rocky
slope there was a fierce yell and a rush, and they saw the light
slightly obscured as the Apaches dashed by the entrance in a fierce
charge, meant to overwhelm them.
Directly after the canyon seemed to be filled with yells of
disappointment and rage, as the Apaches found that their intended
victims had eluded them just as they had vowed their destruction.
This gave a minute's grace, sufficient for the fugitives to get some
little distance up the narrow rock passage, the Beaver and Bart pausing
by the top of the steepest piece of rock about a hundred feet above the
entrance, which, overshadowed as it was by trees, had a beautifully
peaceful appearance as seen against the broad light of day.
All at once there was a loud yell, betokening the fact that the entrance
to the chimney had been seen, and directly after a couple of Indians
leaped in and began to climb.
Bart's and the Beaver's rifles seemed to make but one report, when the
narrow chasm was filled with the vapour of exploded gunpowder, and the
two Indians fell back.
"Climb," whispered the Beaver; and Bart led the way, the chief keeping
close behind him, till they were on the heels of the rest of the party,
who had halted to see if they could be of use.
The entry was now hidden, and they stopped to listen, just as the
successive reports of three rifles came echoing up in company with the
curious pattering noise made by the bullets, which seemed as if they
glanced here and there against the stones, sending fragments rattling
down, but doing no farther harm, for the fugitives were not in the line
of the shooters' sight.
The retreat went on, with the Beaver and Joses taking it in turn to
remain behind at a corner of the rift or some barrier of rock to keep
the Apaches in check, for they kept coming fiercely on. Now and then
they were checked by a shot, but in that dark narrow pass there was but
little opportunity for firing, and the chief thing aimed at was retreat.
The top was reached at last, and as they neared it, to Bart's great
delight, he found that there was a strong party there, headed by the
Doctor, who had heard the firing, and came to his followers' relief.
The main thing to decide now was how to hold the Apaches in check while
a retreat was made to the mountain, where all was right, the horses and
cattle being in their strong places, and every one on the alert.
The Beaver decided the matter by undertaking, with one of his men, to
keep the Apaches from getting to the top till their friends had reached
the rock, where they were to be ready to cover his retreat.
The Doctor made a little demur at first, but the chief insisted, and
after an attempt on the part of the Apaches at fighting their way up had
been met by a sharp volley, the whole party, saving the Beaver and one
follower, retreated to the rock fortress, where they speedily manned all
the points of defence, and waited eagerly for the coming of the chief.
But to Bart's horror he did not come, while simultaneously there was a
shout from the Doctor and another from Joses, the one giving warning
that a very strong body of mounted men was appearing over the plains,
the other that the savages from the canyon had fought their way up the
chimney, and were coming on to the attack.