. He now advanced with the
greatest caution, every faculty absorbed in the sense of listening. He
was soon rewarded by the sound of the baaing of the sheep; and
dismounting and leading his horse, he gradually approached the spot. At
last, on ascending a slight rise, he fancied that he could make out a
black mass, at a distance of a quarter of a mile. Of this, however, he
was not certain; but he was sure, from an occasional sound, that the
herd was exactly in this direction and at about that distance.

He now left his horse, taking the precaution of tying all four legs, to
prevent his starting off at the sound of the rockets. He next set to
work to cut some turf, with which he formed a narrow sloping bank, with
a hollow for the rocket to rest in--calculating the exact distance, and
the angle required. During this operation he stopped every minute or two
and listened with his ear on the ground; but except a faint stamping
noise from the distant cattle, all was quiet.

All being prepared, Mr. Hardy took the signal rocket, and placing it at
a much higher angle than that intended for the others, struck a match
and applied it to the touch-paper. In a moment afterwards there was a
loud roar, and the rocket soared up, with its train of brilliant sparks
behind it, and burst almost over the Indian camp. Five or six balls of
an intense white light broke from it, and gradually fell towards the
ground, lighting up the whole surrounding plain.

A yell of astonishment and fear broke from the Indians, and in a moment
another rocket rushed out.

Mr. Hardy watched its fiery way with anxiety, and saw with delight that
its direction was true. Describing a slight curve, it rushed full at the
black mass, struck something, turned abruptly, and then exploded with a
loud report, followed instantly by a cracking noise, like a straggling
fusilade of musketry.

It had scarcely ceased before the third followed it, greeted, like its
predecessors, with a yell from the Indians.

Its success was equal to that of its predecessors, and Mr. Hardy was
delighted by the sound of a dull, heavy noise, like distant thunder, and
knew that the success was complete, and that he had stampeded the
cattle.

He now ran to his horse, which was trembling in every limb and
struggling wildly to escape, soothed it by patting it, loosed its bonds,
sprang into the saddle, and went off at full gallop in the direction by
which he had come. He had not ridden very far be