e the bend. They have spotted our trail, too,
somehow. It may be they are riding easy to close in on us," smiled
Scott, while Bucks's hair began to pull. "Our way out is over this
divide." He indicated the rough country east of the creek as he
spoke.

"Divide!" exclaimed Stanley, looking up at the practically sheer walls
of rock that hedged the course of the creek. "We can't climb those
hills, if we never get out."

"They're not quite so bad as they look. Anyway, colonel, we've got
to."

"They can pick us off our horses like monkeys all the way up!"

"It's a chance for our scalps, colonel. And it will be as hard riding
for them as it is for us."

Stanley looked at Bucks with perplexity. "This boy!"

"I can make it, Colonel Stanley," exclaimed Bucks, who felt he must
say something.

Stanley still hesitated.

"We've no time to lose," smiled Scott significantly.

"Then go ahead, Bob."

They had half a mile of comparatively level ground to cross before
they began their climb, and this strip they rode very hard. When they
reached the hills, Scott headed for a forbidding-looking canyon and
urged his horse without ceasing through the rocky wash that strewed
its floor. Stanley, with an excellent mount, could have kept well up,
but he had put Bucks ahead of him in the safe place of the little
procession, and the boy had difficulty in keeping within call of
their active leader. The minute they were out of sight of the creek
bottoms, Scott, choosing an apparently unscalable ascent, urged his
horse up one of the canyon walls and the three were soon climbing in
order.

Happily, Bucks's scrub horse gave a better account of himself in
climbing than he had done in covering better ground. As their horses
stumbled hurriedly along the narrow ledges, they made noise enough to
wake the Indian dead and the loose rock tumbled with sinister echoes
down the canyon wall. But progress was made, and the white men felt
only anxious lest pursuit should catch them exposed on the uncovered
height up which they were fast clambering.

Secure in their escape, the three were nearing the coveted top when a
yell echoed through the canyon from below. There was no mistaking such
a yell. Bucks, who had never heard anything so ferocious, had no need
to be told what it was--it, so to say, introduced itself. And it was
answered by another yell, more formidable still, and again by a
chorus of yells. Then it seemed to Bucks's unaccustomed ears as i