most sure shot of the defenders.

And now, peering down into the road far below, Pike could see that the
leading Indians had come in sight of the big baggage wagon and that they
were signalling to those in the rear, for almost instantly three or four
sinewy, athletic young fellows sprang up among the trees and bowlders on
the north side of the Pass, and crouching like panthers, half crawling,
half springing, they went flitting from rock to rock or tree to tree
until lost to the view of the lone watcher on the great ledge, but it
was evident that their purpose was to reconnoitre the position from that
side, as well as to surround the objects of their pursuit should they
still be there. Almost at the same instant, too, an equal number of the
Tontos came leaping like goats a short distance up the slope towards
Pike's unconscious garrison, but speedily turned eastward, and, adopting
precisely the same tactics as those of their comrades across the road,
rapidly, but with the utmost stealth and noiselessness, bore down on the
abandoned nook.

"Mighty lucky we got out of that and found this," muttered Pike. "It
won't be five minutes before they satisfy themselves that there is no
one left to defend those wagons or the horses--and the moment they
realize it there'll be a yell of delight."

Sure enough! After a brief interval of silence, there came from below a
shout of exultation, answered instantly by triumphant yells from the
Indians in the roadway, and echoed by a wail of mortal terror from poor
Kate, crouching below in the cave. Pike lost no time in sliding down the
rocks and striving to comfort her. Nellie, clinging to her nurse, was
terrified by the sounds. Little Ned, pale, but with his boyish face set
and determined, grasped once more his little Ballard rifle, and looked
up in the corporal's face as much as to say: Count on me for one of your
fighting men! Trembling, shivering and calling on the blessed saints,
poor Kate stood there wringing her hands, the very personification of
abject fright. Jim, coming around to the mouth of the cave, spoke
sternly to her; told her she ought to be ashamed of herself for setting
so bad an example to little Nell. "Look at Ned," he said, "see how the
little man behaves; his father would be proud of him." And then Pike
spoke up. "Don't worry, don't be so afraid, Kate; they have got all they
want just now. They'll just plunder and gorge themselves with food, and
then they will have Man