and stalked over to where Jim was still snoring in the
sunshine!

"Wake up, Jim!" he cried, giving him a lively shake or two. "Wake up and
give me a lift here. Nellie wants to see her stone house."

It took some hard shaking--it generally does--to rouse the darkey from
his slumber, but Jim presently sat up, rubbed his eyes, looked around
him, and then, as though suddenly recovering his faculties, sprang to
his feet.

"Unsaddle 'Gregg' and put the saddle, bridle and blanket with the other
stuff, Jim," whispered Pike. "We must take our horse equipments and
harness with us. We've got to move up to the cave. No hurry, mind you.
You fetch the blankets first. I'll carry Nellie."

Then calling to Ned to bring his Ballard--there were lots of squirrels
up the hill--a fiction that can hardly have been very heavily charged
against him, Pike quickly lifted Nellie to his shoulders and strode off
up the rocks. "You come, too, Kate. It's quite a climb but it'll do you
good," he shouted, and presently he had his whole procession strung out
behind him and clambering from bowlder to bowlder. Long before they
reached the ledge they had to let poor Kate recover breath and, after
one or two halts of this kind, Pike sent Jim ahead with the blankets and
bade him come back at once and tow, push or "boost" the stout Irishwoman
to their destination. At last the rock was reached, Ned and Nellie
shouting with delight over the wonderful cave and speedily making
themselves at home in its inmost recesses, Kate breathless and exhausted
and bemoaning the fates that brought her on such an uncanny trip. The
blankets were spread out on the smooth surface of the rock within the
great, gloomy hollow. Jim was sent down for another load while Pike
clambered up to his watch-tower and took a long look with his glass. The
Indians had not yet reached the rise from which he had counted their
numbers at ten o'clock.

In an hour more all the provisions they could need for several days,
more blankets and pillows, all the arms and ammunition, all the harness
and horse equipments had been lugged up to and safely stowed in and
about the cave. "They'll burn the wagons, blast them!" muttered Pike to
himself, "but we can leave the horses there. They won't harm them
because they will want them to get away with in case they find the
cavalry on their trail. The chances are the horses can be recovered, but
darn me if I'll let 'em have saddle, bridle or harness to run off