approached the slope, he saw it occupied by
other youth ready and eager to give him a warm reception. At the same
time the tallest of his pursuers was gaining on him rapidly; rocks flew
past his head; a stone struck him between the ribs, stopping his breath
almost. In despair he turned to the left, and making a last effort flew
towards the houses of the Eagle clan. Panting, blinded by exertion and
by pain, he reached one of the beams leading to a roof, rushed upward
along it, and was about to take refuge in the room below, when a young
girl came up the primitive ladder down which he had intended to
precipitate himself. Issuing from the hatchway she quietly pushed the
lad to one side; then, as in that moment one of his pursuers appeared on
the roof, she stepped between him and Shyuote.

"Get out of the way, Mitsha! Let me get at the wren!" cried the youth
who had just climbed the roof. Shyuote fled to the very wall of the
rock; he gave up all hope and thought himself lost. But the girl quietly
asked,--

"What do you want with the boy?"

"He has hurt Sayap, our sister," the tall youngster answered. "He threw
a stone at her and caused her to bleed. Now I am going to pay him for
it."

"So will I!" shouted another one from below.

"I too!" "And I!" "He shall get it from all of us!" yelled a number of
youthful voices, and in an instant the roof was crowded with boys.

Mitsha had placed herself so as to shield the trembling lad with her own
body. Very quietly she said,--

"Don't you see that he also is bleeding? Let him go now, it is enough."
A stone had indeed grazed Shyuote's scalp, and blood was trickling down
his cheek.

"It is not enough!" shouted one of the older boys, angrily. "Get out of
the way, Mitsha!"

"You shall not hurt him on this roof," replied Mitsha, in a calm but
very positive tone.

"Do you intend to protect him?" cried the tallest one of the pursuers,
and another one exclaimed,--

"How does it concern you? You have nothing to do here." All turned
against the girl. A little fellow, who carried several large pebbles in
his hand for the occasion, endeavoured to steal a march around Mitsha in
order to reach Shyuote; but she noticed it, and grasped his arm and
pulled him back so vigourously that he reeled and fell at full length on
the roof. Then she ordered them all to leave forthwith.

"You belong to the Corn clan," she said, "and have nothing to do here on
the houses of the Eagle clan. Go do