ot the noonday halt was made, and a hurried
luncheon provided, but before they were ready for a start, Angel, who
was in the branches of a tree, began his chatter, which caused George to
spring toward the direction of the tree.

"Come down, Angel; come down!" This was always heeded by the animal, and
it was plain that the direction of the approaching danger was from the
north.

Springing to a small, low-branching tree, he crawled up, and Angel
followed and looked to the north, and the sight that greeted him was
sufficient to cause a hasty descent, and he ran toward the wagon and met
the boys, who were coming toward him.

"What is it?" asked all in excitement.

"Savages."

"And if I am not mistaken, they are the same tribe that had Ralph and
Tom."

The two boys almost paled at the words. Ralph made his way back to the
wagon on a run. "If they attempt to take me again, I will never
surrender."

"Are they coming this way?"

"Yes; and they are not a quarter of a mile away."

The yaks were unyoked, and had not been hitched up, so they were led
behind the wagon, following out the plan previously adopted, as it would
have been useless to attempt to avoid them.

"Shall we attack them the moment they approach?"

"I believe," answered Ralph "that is our only hope."

"How many could you see in the party?"

"About a dozen."

The wagon had been camped behind a clump of shrubbery, not over twenty
feet from the small rivulet, and to the north of them the stream made a
slight turn, so that the party appeared in view to the watchers as soon
as they reached the wagon, and Ralph was the first to recognize their
late enemies.

To the surprise of the boys, the savages stopped, not a thousand feet
away, but on the opposite side of the stream, and built a fire
preparatory to cooking some game which had fallen into their hands.

"Well, this is interesting. They are going to have some luncheon, too.
Wouldn't this be a good time to slip away?"

"I am afraid," answered Tom, "that it would be a dangerous business. The
creaking of that rear wheel would put them on our track at once.
Couldn't we grease the wheel?" Tom was very much in earnest now.

As quietly as possible the wheel was removed, and some very good butter,
the only thing available, was used to ease it up, and the wheel was
gotten back in quick time.

Unfortunately the wagon tongue pointed toward the river, the very
direction which they dared not go, for fear o