u're not going to mix up anything horrid for me, father?"

"Nothing worse than tea or coffee; and you may have damper and bacon to
take afterwards," said the doctor, laughing. "Have a good wash and rub
out in the sunshine before breakfast. Then eat a good meal and lie
about all day again in the sunshine."

"What for, father?"

"To give nature time to get your bruises right."

"But you won't tell me how my pony is--and he's worse than I am. Don't
say he's tired, father?" cried the boy piteously, for the doctor's face
looked very serious.

"Certainly not. Poor beast, he's far more stiff and sore than you are,
besides having all those bad wounds."

"But they're getting better?" cried Chris anxiously.

"They're no worse, my boy," replied the doctor, "but they have had no
time to get better. I have stopped them from getting into a bad
condition, and the poor thing is limping about grazing as if nothing
much was the matter. Are you satisfied?"

"Oh yes," cried Chris eagerly, as he rose and began to try himself in
different attitudes. "It has done me good to hear it. I--I don't think
I'm quite so stiff this morning."

"That's right."

"Are we going on to-day?"

"On? No. We're prisoners; and besides, we couldn't start with you and
your pony in hospital."

"What about the Indians?"

"We haven't seen a sign of them. They're either laying some trap for
us, or they have been regularly sickened and have stolen away in the
night."

"Are you going to see?"

"Perhaps," said the doctor; "but I'm more disposed to keep a quiet
lookout, and rest. We're quite safe here, and provisions are more
plentiful than I thought for. Griggs has found the spoor of some big
buck and his young does. They have straggled into the valley during the
night."

"That's good news, father."

"For the larder: yes. What do you say to taking up land here and making
a fresh start in life?"

"Wouldn't do, father," said the boy, shaking his head. "Too far away
from everybody."

"Yes, it would be the life of a hermit. Ready to come out?"

"Yes, I'm going out to the water-bucket, as you advised."

"That's right; go. It will give you an appetite for your breakfast."

It was Ned's turn to keep watch from the observatory, as they termed a
little shelter, roughly-made on the top terrace; but Chris would have
taken his place had not his father interposed.

"But it seems so hard for him to go up there while we're having a good