and unerring thus far, 'Tonio, backed by half a dozen half-naked
young braves, had guided the cavalry, and never before, so said old
Farrier Haney, who had 'listed in the troop at Prescott, and had served
here with the previous regiment in '69--never before had he known
'Tonio so excited, so vehement. Beyond all question, 'Tonio's heart was
in the chase to-day.

[Illustration: Scrambling down the adjacent slope every man for
himself. Page 81]

But this delay was most vexatious. Every moment lost to the pursuit was
more than a minute gained by the pursued. Lighter by far and trained to
mountain climbing, the Apache covers ground with agility almost
goatlike. It was long after seven, said Stannard's watch, and not a
glimpse had they caught of Indian other than their own. It was just
half past the hour, and Stannard with an impatient snap of the
watch-case was about thrusting it back in his pocket, when, far to the
front, reechoing, resounding among the rocks, two shots sounded in
quick succession, followed in sudden sputter by half a dozen more.
"Turn your horses over to Number Four, men!" shouted Stannard.
"Sergeant Schreiber, remain in charge. The rest of you come on."

Scrambling up a rocky hillside, he led on to the divide before him--the
crest between two steep ravines--his men coming pell-mell and panting
after, every now and then dislodging a stone and sending it clattering
to the depths below. Two hundred yards ahead, at a sharp, angular
point, one of the Yuma scouts stood frantically waving his hand, and
thither Stannard turned his ponderous way. No lightweight he, and the
pace and climb began to tell. Eager young soldiers were at his heels,
but grim old Stauffer, the first sergeant, growled his orders not to
crowd; hearing which their captain half turned with something like a
grin: "Tumble ahead if you want to," was all he said, and tumble they
did, for the firing was sharp and fierce and close at hand, augmented
on a sudden as 'Tonio's little party reached the scene and swelled the
clamor with their Springfields. Another moment and, springing from rock
to rock, spreading out to the right and left as they came in view of a
little fastness along the face of a cliff, the troopers went scrambling
down the adjacent slope and, every man for himself, opened on what
could be seen of the foe. Some men, possibly, never knew what they were
firing at, but the big-barrelled Sharp's carbine made a glorious chorus
to the s