ht ideas too."

"I don't know about `too,'" said Griggs coolly; "I've got none. My head
has grown thick with thinking of how we're to get out of this hole."

Ned was silent, and sat frowning.

"Well, let's have it," said Chris.

"Oh, I don't know," said Ned coldly. "Perhaps you've got a better idea
of your own."

"Here, don't make us hungry with keeping it back," cried Chris
good-humouredly. "What a fellow you are to take offence."

"Oh, I'm not offended, only I don't think some people need be ready to
jeer quite so soon."

"`Some people,'" said Griggs softly. "That means me. Very sorry, and
won't do so any more."

"And you keep on doing it."

"Well, never mind," said Griggs, smiling. "I'm only 'Murrican, and you
know what we are. Come, let's have your notion, squire, and if it seems
a right one we'll get out of our trouble like a shot. What was it?"

"Well, I propose," said Ned reluctantly, "that we take proper steps one
night, and startle the Indians' horses into making a stampede. It could
easily be done."

"And afterwards?" said Chris quietly.

"Why, ride off ourselves and get beyond the redskins' reach. They'd
have no horses to follow."

"And they'd never think of running after and catching them," said Chris
quietly.

"How could they when the horses had galloped right away? They wouldn't
know which way the ponies had gone in the dark."

"But they'd find the trail in the morning, and follow it, if the job
took them a week."

"Hear, hear!" cried Griggs, raising the barrels of his rifle to his eyes
and looking through them as if they formed a binocular telescope.

"Oh, you're always so ready with your objections," said Ned angrily.
"Why couldn't it be done?"

"Just because it would be impossible, I'm afraid, squire," said Griggs,
polishing away now at his right barrel. "_If_ you had all the horses
together, and _if_ you could frighten them, they might all rush off, but
even if they did it wouldn't matter much, as Chris here hints, because
the Indians would follow the trail, and not lose one. Very sorry,
squire. Glad if it would do; but it won't, so try again."

Ned uttered a grunt.

"You'd better try now, Chris," he said scornfully, "and old Griggs'll
sit upon your plan directly."

Griggs breathed upon the stock of his rifle, and gave it a hard rub with
his piece of rag to bring up the polish upon the walnut grain.

"To be sure I will," he said pleasantly, as he gave Chris a