they saw the men on watch throw themselves on to their
horses' backs, figures leapt up from the grass and ran towards their
horses, and in little over a minute the whole were in motion.

'Surely they are not going to run away from three men!' Charley said in
a disgusted tone.

'They won't run far, Charley,' Mr. Hardy said quietly. 'By the time that
we are half-way to them they will see that we can have no one with us,
and then they will come on quickly enough.'

It was as Mr. Hardy said. Keen as had been the watch kept by the
Indians, in spite of their belief that no pursuing force could be sent
after them, it was some little time before they could get the weary
animals on their legs and in motion; and even at the easy canter at
which Mr. Hardy approached, he had neared them to within half a mile
before they were fairly off. A small party only continued to drive the
animals, and the rest of the Indians wheeling sharp round, and uttering
a wild war-cry, came back at full gallop towards the whites.

[Illustration: Onset of the Indians.--_Page 183._]

'Halt, boys--steady, dismount: take up your positions quietly. Don't
fire till I give you the word. I shall try my rifle first.'

The well-trained horses, accustomed to their masters firing from their
backs, stood as steady as if carved in stone, their heads turned
inquiringly towards the yelling throng of horsemen who were approaching.
Mr. Hardy and the boys had both dismounted, so that the horses were
between them and the Indians, the saddles serving as rests for their
firearms.

'Five hundred yards, Charley?' his father asked quietly.

'A little over, papa; nearly six, I should say.'

Mr. Hardy waited another ten seconds, and then his rifle cracked; and a
yell of astonishment and rage broke from the Indians, as one of their
chiefs, conspicuous from an old dragoon helmet, taken probably in some
skirmish with the soldiers, fell from his horse.

'Hurrah!' Charley cried. 'Shall we fire now, papa?'

'No, Charley,' Mr. Hardy said as he reloaded his rifle; 'wait till they
are four hundred yards off, then fire slowly. Count ten between each
shot, and take as steady an aim as possible. Now! Well done, two more of
the scoundrels down. Steady, Hubert, you missed that time: there, that's
better.'

The Indians yelled with rage and astonishment as man after man dropped
before the steady and, to them, mysterious fire which was kept up upon
them. Still they did not abate the