ricochetting cannon
balls.

The Little Giant returned presently, but as yet no damage had been done,
although the bombardment was going on as furiously as ever.

"They'll keep it up awhile," he said, as he huddled against the wall by
the side of Will. "I knowed they would be up to some trick, but I didn't
think 'bout them bowlders that lay thick on the mounting. They hev got
'nuff ammunition o' that kind to last a year, but arter a while thar
arms will grow tired, an' then they'll grow tired too, o' not knowin'
whether they hit or not. It wears out the best man in the world to keep
on workin' forever an' forever without knowin' whether he's
accomplishin' anything or not. All we've got to do is to hug the wall
an' set tight."

"Wouldn't it be well, Giant, when the bombardment lets up, to gather
together our own little army and take to flight up the pass?"

"An' whar would we fetch up?"

"It's not likely to be a box canyon. I've read that they abound more in
the southern mountains, and are not met with very often here. And even
if the pass itself didn't take us out we might find a cross canyon or a
slope that we could climb."

"Sounds good, young William. We'll git the hosses an' mules ready, packs
on 'em, and bridles in thar mouths, an' ez soon ez the arms an' sperrits
o' the Sioux git tired, I'll hot foot after Jim, an' then we'll gallop
up the pass."

The Little Giant's psychology was correct. In a half hour the
bombardment began to decrease in violence, and in ten more minutes it
ceased entirely. Then, according to plan, he ran to the mouth of the
pass and returned with the hunter, who had promptly accepted their plan.
Coaxing forth the reluctant animals, which were still in fear, they set
off up the great defile, passing among the bowlders, some of great size,
which had been tumbled down in search of their heads.

"Thar's one consolation," said the Little Giant, philosophically, "ef
any o' them big rocks had hit our heads we wouldn't hev been troubled
with wounds. My skull's hard, but it would hev been shattered like an
eggshell."

"They may begin again," said Boyd, "but by then we ought to be far
away."

It was a venture largely at random, but the three were agreed that it
must be made. The Sioux undoubtedly would resume the bombardment later
on, and they might also receive reinforcements sufficient to resume the
attack at the mouth of the pass, or at least to keep up there a distant
fire that would pr