rse yells, and then a rattling rifle-volley from the top of the slope
opposite. Bullets thudded on the cliff, whipped up red dust, and spanged
and droned away.

Fay Larkin screamed and staggered back against the wall. Nack-yal was
hit, and with frightened snort he reared, pawed the air, and came down,
pounding the stone. The mustang behind him went to his knees, sank with
his head over the rim, and, slipping off, plunged into the depths. In an
instant a dull crash came up.

For a moment there was imminent peril for the horses, more in the
yawning hole than in the spanging of badly aimed bullets. Lassiter drew
Jane up a little slope out of the way of the frightened mustangs, and
Shefford, risking his neck, rushed to Fay. She was holding her arm,
which was bleeding. Unheeding the rain of bullets, he half carried,
half dragged her along the slope of the low bluff, where he hid behind
a corner till the Indian drove the mustangs round it. Shefford's swift
fingers were wet and red with the blood from Fay's arm when he had bound
the wound with his scarf. Lassiter had gotten around with Jane and was
calling Shefford to hurry.

It had been Shefford's idea to halt there and fight. But he did not want
to send Fay on alone, so he hurried ahead with her. The Indian had the
horses going fast on a long level, overhung by bulging wall. Lassiter
and Jane were looking back. Shefford, becoming aware of a steep slope
to his left, looked down to see a narrow chasm and great crevices in the
cliffs, with bunches of cedars here and there.

Presently Nas Ta Bega disappeared with the mustangs. He had evidently
turned off to go down behind the split cliffs. Shefford and Fay caught
up with Lassiter and Jane, and, panting, hurrying, looking backward and
then forward, they kept on, as best they could, in the Indian's course.
Shefford made sure they had lost him, when he appeared down to the left.
Then they all ran to catch up with him. They went around the chasm, and
then through one of the narrow cracks to come out upon the rim, among
cedars. Here the Indian waited for them. He pointed down another
long swell of naked stone to a narrow green split which was evidently
different from all these curved pits and holes and abysses, for this
one had straight walls and wound away out of sight. It was the head of a
canyon.

"Nonnezoshe Boco!" said the Indian.

"Nas Ta Bega, go on!" replied Shefford. "When Shadd comes out on that
slope above he can't