an area
of several yards. Its fangs had entered the blanket where, while they
did not pierce through they stuck irrevocably, holding the reptile a
prisoner to the fury of the dog.

Thankful indeed were the boys for their providential escape from this
dreaded creature. Elwood had been awakened by its slight rattling, when,
suspecting the danger that was closing around his cousin, he uttered the
warning words which we have given and which proved the means of robbing
the blow of the reptile of its danger.

The fangs were carefully extracted from the blanket, and Howard declared
his intention of preserving them as a curiosity; but within a half-hour
after leaving the camp they were lost, and he did not judge it worth
while to search for them.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE CAMP-FIRE.

As our three friends on that bright summer morning stood on the slope of
the mountains and gazed down into the beautiful Salinas Valley before
them, Elwood Brandon suddenly pointed a little to the north and said:

"See! there are others beside us!"

About a mile distant, and not far from the river, they saw a thin, black
column of smoke rising among the trees, of so dark and palpable a
character that it could be distinguished at once.

"Another party of Indians," replied Howard. "We seem to be getting into
their neighborhood."

"I only wish they were a party of white hunters or miners, for I long to
see a friendly face."

"What good could it do us? They wouldn't accompany us home, or take any
trouble to see that we were protected."

"Perhaps not, but I tell you, Howard, this begins to look dangerous when
we see nothing but enemies. There are but three of us, and one gun only
between us. I believe a single Indian could destroy us all if he chose
to do so."

"Except in one contingency."

"What is that?"

"That you should aim the gun. He would then flee at once."

Elwood laughed and added:

"But we have no breakfast, and we may as well be moving."

"You're a sensible boy," added Tim O'Rooney, "be the towken that when ye
spakes ye quiverally anticipates me own thoughts."

They soon reached the level of the valley, and then took a direction
straight toward the spot where they had seen the camp-fire burning. The
intervening space was quite thickly grown with trees and vegetation, so
that they could obtain no sight of the fire itself until they were very
close to it.

"We must be careful," admonished Howard. "If it is a party o