encouraging his fierce followers by voice
and action, threw himself toward Dick, who happened to be nearest him.
Dick had just fired the last shot from his revolver, and he had no time
to reload. As the Indian sprang at him Dick clubbed his revolver, and
made a terrific swing at the shaven head of his attacker. The savage
dodged with the agility of a cat, and the blow merely glanced from his
shoulder. With a yell of exultation the Indian raised his sharp knife,
still dripping with the blood of its last victim. But before the weapon
could descend, Bert's fist shot out like lightning, catching the redskin
a terrific blow under the chin. The Indian's head snapped back, and he
was almost lifted from the ground by the impact. Then he fell limply, and
the fight waged on over his unconscious form.

The attackers, instead of being daunted by the fall of their leader,
seemed spurred to an even greater pitch of ferocity, and fought like very
demons. The whites, fighting silently and grimly, resolved to sell their
lives as dearly as might be, presented a solid front and battled with the
grim courage and ferocity of desperation. Bert and Dick and Tom fought as
one unit, and again and again repelled the assaults of their swarming
enemies.

But they were battling against overwhelming odds, and the end could not
be far off. Sam, the guard, was down, whether dead or only wounded they
did not know. All of them were wounded, and Tom's left arm hung useless
at his side. They had no time to load their revolvers, and, with the last
shot fired, drew their sharp hunting knives and fought like cornered
wildcats. Eyes bloodshot, the odor of blood and sweat in their nostrils,
they time and again flung back the leaping, yelling hordes pressing in on
them.

But there is a limit to human endurance, and their arms were beginning to
weaken, their aim to be less certain. Then suddenly the fierce attack
wavered and weakened. To their dazed senses came the noise of rifle
shots, and the sound of a bugle's strident note. Before they could
realize that help had at last arrived the Indians had broken away and
with wild yells were making for their horses. A detachment of cavalry set
out in pursuit, while the commanding officer and his staff rode over to
the exhausted defenders.

As they rode they looked wonderingly at the numbers of Indians scattered
over the bloodsoaked ground. They galloped up to where the defenders, or
what remained of them, lay panti