n their
midst, would be enough to frighten their horses altogether beyond
control. What do you think of my idea?'

'Capital, capital!' they all cried.

'But how, papa,' Hubert asked, 'will you manage to make your rockets go
straight at the Indians? All the rockets I ever saw went straight up
into the air.'

'Yes, Hubert, because they were pointed up. A rocket goes whichever way
it is pointed. Rockets in war are fired through a tube, or from a
trough. We will use the trough. Set to at once, boys, and make a trough
about four feet long, without ends. It must stand on legs high enough to
raise it above the level of the wall round the top of the tower. Let
there be two legs on the front end, and one leg behind; and this leg
behind must have a hinge, so that, when it stands upright, it will be
six or eight inches higher than the front, in case we want to fire at
anything close at hand. When we want to elevate the head of the rocket
to fire at anything at a distance, we pull the hind leg back, so that
that end is lower than the front. Put a spike at the end of the leg, to
let it have a firm hold on the floor.'

Charley thought a moment, and then said: 'I think, papa, it would be
firmer, and more easily managed, if we made two legs behind, with
another one sliding up and down between them, and with holes in it so
that it can be pegged up and down as we like.'

'That would be certainly better, Charley. Put your idea down upon paper,
and let me see exactly what you mean before you begin.'

Charley did so, and Mr. Hardy pronounced it to be excellent; and by
night the trough was finished, and placed in position at the top of the
lookout.

Mr. Hardy, in the course of the evening, explained to his wife that it
was possible the Indians might venture to make a dash to carry off some
of the cattle, and that, therefore, he had ordered the girls to be on
the lookout, and to adopt every precaution upon moving out. To them he
made an addition to his former instructions, namely, that not only
should they look out before leaving the enclosure, but that, if one went
out, the other should go up to the top of the tower every quarter of an
hour to see that everything was still clear, and that if both were out,
Sarah should do the same. The boys needed no instructions to load their
revolving carbines, and the pistols and a double-barrelled gun were
handed over both to Lopez and Terence, with instructions to carry them
always with them. L