A NIGHT ATTACK
The sound of the work on the hill carried far through the clear, quiet
air, so that the outlaws, if they were anywhere near, would have had
warning that preparations were being made to receive them. At last
Juarez's vigilance was rewarded. He crouched, looking over the edge of
the gully in the direction of the mountain with its heavily-wooded
slope.
He was positive that he saw a line of horsemen moving along the edge
of the trees. Then he heard a horse's shoe strike a stone, and the
low voices of men. A thrill went through him at the nearness of the
encounter. Lucky that he and Jim had been on hand to hear the plans
laid at the pow-wow, for they would in all probability have been
captured or killed, since the outlaws could have rushed the camp
easily. With only one of the boys on guard, there would have been
no chance against the ten of them.
"What are those tenderfeet a-doin' this time of night?" growled Gus
Gols, bringing his column to a halt. "They seem to be mighty busy
about something."
"Maybe they have got wind of our doin's," said Eph. "I wouldn't be
surprised if they weren't such tenderfeet after all."
"I'm goin' to do a little lookin' ahead," remarked Gus. "We'll hitch
our cayuses in the woods, and you boys stay with 'em."
Then the leader of the gang left them and made his way to the edge of
the pines. He stood looking at the hill with the light of the campfire
shining on it like a big red star, and the sound of the axes came
faint and clear to him. "They sure are getting ready for somebody,"
growled the giant, "and I reckon it's us, but I'm going to find out
for sartain. Where's that gully?" He stalked along until he found it,
and then disappeared as though the earth had swallowed him.
Now Juarez had been debating whether to go back and warn the boys that
the enemy was approaching, or to find out more of what Gus Gols was
going to do before reporting to Jim, the commander of the faithful.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to go ahead a ways further. At
the time he made this decision Gus Gols had just entered the deep
gully, and a head-on collision seemed imminent. It was a dangerous
situation for Juarez.
However, one thing was in his favor, he was on the alert, and the
giant, who was coming down the gully, did not expect to find any of
the boys abroad, supposing that they would stay close to camp and not
venture forth in the darkness. He was soon to learn that these same
boys were not to be trifled with. Juarez was going along quickly, but
very carefully, when he suddenly stopped and listened.
He could hear distinctly someone coming down the ravine. Just a few
steps ahead of him was a shelf below the edge of the bank. Juarez made
a spring and climbed up to the shelf in a jiffy, but he loosened a
little dirt that slid down to the bottom of the gully. It made only a
little noise, but enough to reach the ears of Gus Gols.
He stopped as though petrified, glaring ahead through the darkness.
For five minutes he stood thus with every sense ferociously alert.
Then he went forward, but with extreme caution. Every few feet he
examined the floor of the gully for the signs of some footprint.
Juarez waited like a graven image, hoping that the man, whoever it
might be, would continue up the gully; then he would follow and trap
him when he reached the hill.
Juarez could not be sure that there was only one. He could hear
nothing, but he was certain that the man was very near. Some instinct
told him that. Then beneath his eyes a long, bent, stealthy figure
crept into view. Gols felt the footprints in the sand of the gully,
then he glared up. He saw the stooping figure of Juarez and jumped
instantly back around the curve of the bank.
The game was up. Juarez leaped out on the level and made a dash for a
boulder a short distance away. Just as he reached its shelter Gols
fired, and the bullet zinged from the side of the rock off into the
darkness. Then Gols got a surprise, for Juarez fired at a dark bunch
looking over the edge of the gully. The bullet breezed his cheek and
Gols ducked.
The sound of the shots aroused both sides, and the battle was on.
Juarez now backed cautiously down into a depression and ran with all
his might to give the news to Jim. He got to the hill just in time to
warn Jim and Jo not to go up the gully.
"This is the way they will make their attack," said Juarez. "We can
station ourselves behind these trees, and, when they come out of the
gully, we will let 'em have it."
"That's the scheme," agreed Jim. "Which one did you have the duel
with, Juarez?"
"The blond beauty himself," replied Juarez. "He didn't miss me far
either, but I made him take to cover pretty quick."
"They will be here in about fifteen minutes," said Jim. "We might as
well get to our places."
Tom was left in the stockade, and Jim and the other three boys took
their stations behind convenient trees upon the slope of the hill
commanding the entrance into the gully. Jim and Juarez were nearest to
the foot of the hill, backed by Jo and Jeems. They did not have long
to wait, though the twenty minutes seemed like several hours to Jo and
Jeems, before there were signs of the approach of Gus Gols and his
gang.
Very carefully they came up the gully, with the tall giant in the lead
and Eph close at his heels; behind them came three of the Mexicans,
but where was Edgar, and the other four? Perhaps the boss was afraid
lest the flashing diamond that Ed always wore in his shirt bosom might
give their presence away. But without joking, it was strange that
these five were not with the main party. It was hardly likely that Big
Gus would leave that number with the horses. Where were they? We
shall find out in a few minutes.
"Don't you reckon those fellows have had time to make their move?"
whispered Gus to his henchman Eph. They had halted in the darkness of
the gully, about two hundred and fifty yards from the foot of the
hill.
"Ed's pretty quick," replied Eph. "He said that he wouldn't take more
than a quarter of an hour."
"I'll give him five minutes' leeway," said Gus. "Then we will jump
these fellows." In a short time he looked at his watch by the quick
flare of a match that showed his red, evil face with the squinting
blue eyes.
"All ready now, boys," he said in a low significant tone. "Give 'em
the lead, but don't shoot the horses."
As ill luck would have it, Jeems Howell, who was highest up on the
hill, caught the first glimpse of the outlaws as they advanced up the
gully. How it occurred he never could explain, but his rifle went off
before he could aim. Instantly the gang dropped behind the bank and
opened fire upon the hill.
One volley had crashed out from Jim, Juarez and Jo, when Tom's
agonized voice rang out:
"Quick, boys, they are coming up the other side!"
The Frontier Boys had been outgeneraled. There was no question about
that, and they were in deadly peril. There was nothing for them to do
but to retreat to the stockade before it was too late.
"Come, boys!" cried Jim, and away they dashed up the side of the hill
with Gus Gols and his crew in close pursuit. The bullets swept with
deadly zing near them as they ran. As they neared the stockade Ed and
his men came into view from the opposite side of the hill. Jim and
Juarez dropped behind a rock and fired at the foremost of the crowd
and they took to cover. Then they two got into the fort and were safe
for the present.
The first thing Juarez did was to climb into the branches of a big
pine that had been left in the stockade. From this point of vantage he
could see in which direction the enemy were. He did not have to wait
long before he saw one of the crowd move cautiously from behind a tree
and rush for a rock nearer the fort, but Juarez was ready for him, and
fired. The man fell, and, then recovering his feet, rushed down the
hill.