other at its blaze, and planted the fresh one down
upon it. As he did so, a whizzing of numerous arrows showed that they
were watched. One went through his coat, fortunately without touching
him; another went right through his arm; and a third laid Charley's
cheek open from the lip to the ear.

'Keep your heads below the wall, boys,' their father shouted. 'Are you
hurt, Charley?'

'Not seriously, papa, but it hurts awfully;' and Charley stamped with
rage and pain.

'What has become of the Indians round the house?' Hubert asked. 'They
are making no fresh attack.'

'No,' Mr. Hardy said; 'they have had enough of it. They are only
wondering how they are to get away. You see the fence is exposed all
round to our fire, for the trees don't go within twenty yards of it.
They are neither in front nor behind the house, for it is pretty open in
both directions, and we should see them. They are not at this side of
the house, so they must be standing close to the wall between the
windows, and must be crowded among the trees and shrubs at the other
end. There is no window there, so they are safe as long as they stay
quiet.'

'No, papa,' Hubert said eagerly; 'don't you remember we left two
loopholes in each room, when we built it, on purpose, only putting in
pieces of wood and filling up the cracks with clay to keep out the
wind?'

'Of course we did, Hubert. I remember all about it now. Run down and
tell them to be ready to pull the wood out and to fire through when they
hear the next rocket go off. I am going to send another light rocket
over in the direction where I saw the horses; and directly I get the
line I will send off cracker-rocket after cracker-rocket as quickly as I
can at them. What with the fire from below among them, and the fright
they will get when they see the horses attacked, they are sure to make a
rush for it.'

In a minute Hubert came back with the word that the men below were
ready. In a moment a rocket soared far away to behind the house; and
just as its light broke over the plains, another one swept over in the
direction of a dark mass of animals, seen plainly enough in the
distance.

A cry of dismay burst from the Indians, rising in yet wilder alarm as
three shots were fired from the wall of the house into their crowded
mass. Again and again was the discharge repeated, and, with a yell of
dismay, a wild rush was made for the fence. Then the boys with their
carbines, and Mr. Hardy with the revolver