ything suspicious.

"They won't come again into the mouth of the pass," said Boyd with
confidence. "That rush cost 'em too much. They'll spend a long time
thinking up some sort of trick, and that being the case you go now,
Giant, and have a drink at the stream, and pour water over your head and
face as Will has done."

"So I will, Jim. I'm noticing that young William has a lot o' sense, an'
after I've 'tended to myself fine I'll come back, an' you kin do ez much
fur yourself. A good bathin' o' your face won't hurt your beauty, Jim."

He was gone a half hour, not hurrying back, because he felt there was no
need to do so. Meanwhile Will lay behind his rock and watched the dusky
pass. Wisps of vapor and thin clouds were floating across the heavens,
hiding some of the stars, and the light was not as good as it had been
earlier in the night, but constant use and habit enable one to see
through the shadows, and he also had the glasses to fall back upon. But
even with their aid he could discern nothing save the stony steep.

"They won't come again, not that way, as I told you before," said Boyd,
when young Clarke put down his glasses after the tenth searching look.
"When they made the rush they expected to have a warrior or two hit, but
they didn't know the greatest marksman in all the world, the Little
Giant, was here waiting for 'em, and if I do say it myself, I'm as good
with the rifle as anybody in the west, except Tom, and you're 'way above
the average too, Will. No, they've had enough of charging, but I wish to
heaven I knew what wicked trick they're thinking out now."

The Little Giant returned, bathed, refreshed and joyous.

"Your turn now, Jim," he said, "an' you soak your head an' face good in
the water. Don't dodge it because you think thar ain't plenty o' water,
'cause thar is. It keeps on a-runnin' an' a-runnin', an' it never runs
out. Stay ez long ez you want to, 'cause young William an' me kin hold
the pass ag'inst all the confederated tribes o' the Sioux nation, an'
the Crows an' the Cheyennes an' the Blackfeet throwed in."

Boyd departed and presently he too returned, strengthened anew for any
task.

"Now, Will," he said, "you being the youngest, and it's only because
you're the youngest, you'd better go back there where the horses and
mules are. They've got over their fright and are taking their rest
again. They appear to like you, to look upon you as a kind of comrade,
and I think it's about time you