horse, his right arm over
its arched neck, and his right hand patting its sleek shoulder. From
the position which he occupied he could see without being seen. His
magnificent steed seemed to be aware that danger was at hand, for it
stood like a statue, absolutely motionless, with the exception of its
fine fiery eyes. Whatever this solitary hunter's thoughts regarding the
two approaching parties might be, it was evident that he meant to remain
an invisible spectator of their doings; for he stood in the same
attitude of statue-like attention until they reached the heads of the
two ravines, where they were separated from each other only by the pass.
Here, on the one side, the Indians, about forty in number, lay in
ambush among the rocks, prepared to surprise and attack the trappers
when they should pass. On the other side the trappers halted, and
dismounting, allowed their horses to graze while they awaited the
arrival of Macgregor and his party.

"They won't be long o' comin'," remarked Redhand, seating himself on a
stone and proceeding to strike a light. "That fellow Macgregor an't the
man to waste time when he's out after the redskins. I only hope he
won't waste life when he gets up to them."

"So do I," said Bounce, seating himself beside Redhand and carefully
cutting a small piece of tobacco into shreds by means of a
scalping-knife. "A sartin amount o' punishment is needful, d'ye see, to
keep 'em down; but I don't like slaughtering human bein's onnecessary
like."

"I'd skiver 'em all, I guess--every one," observed Big Waller angrily.
"They're a murderin', thievin' set o' varmints, as don't desarve to live
nohow!"

"Bah!" exclaimed Gibault in disgust; "you is most awferfully
onfeelosophicule, as Bounce do say. If dey not fit for live, for fat
vas dey made? You vicked man!"

Big Waller deigned no reply.

"I'm off to look at the pass," cried March Marston, vaulting suddenly
into the saddle. "Come, Bertram; you'll go with me, won't you, and see
if we can find some wild-cats in it?"

The artist, who had not dismounted, merely replied by a nod and a smile,
and the two reckless youths galloped away, heedless of Bounce's warning
not to go too far, for fear they should find something worse than
wild-cats there.

The Wild-Cat Pass, through which they were speedily picking their steps,
in order to get a view of the country beyond, was not inappropriately
named; for it seemed, at the first glance of those who