not speaking of the color
of Ni-ha-be's hair or of Rita's.

The expression of Murray's face astonished Steve. It was ghastly
white, under all its tan and sunburn, and the wrinkles seemed twice as
deep as usual, while the fire in his sunken eyes was fairly blazing.
It was likely to be a bad time for anybody to cross the temper of "No
Tongue," and Steve felt that his own blood was getting a little warm.

"There's an Indian coming."

"Apache. After the squaws. Don't you hear his whoop? I suppose
they'll shoot him first thing, but they won't send a bullet at the
girls. They're a bad crowd. Worse than Apache Indians."

"I don't consider them white men."

"Not inside, they ain't. I'd rather be a Lipan!"

The two merry, laughing girls rode by, in happy ignorance of the danger
that was lurking in the thicket, and Red Wolf galloped swiftly on to
join them.

Then the three miners, with Bill at their head, sprung out of their
cover.

"Look out, boys. Don't use your rifles. Thar must be plenty more
within hearin'."

"We'll have to kill the brave."

"Of course. Git close to him, though. No noise. I'd like not to give
him a chance to so much as whoop."

They never dreamed of looking behind to see if any one were following
them out of the cover, but it would have been better for them to have
done so.

"They've start enough now," growled Murray. "Come on, Steve. Step
like a cat. We must take them unawares. Have your tie-up ready."

The buckskin thongs which hang from the belt or shoulder or knee of an
Indian warrior are not all put there for ornament. They are for use in
tying things, and they are terribly strong. No human hand can break
one, and they are always there and ready, only needing to be cut off.

Steve's face was almost as pale as Murray's in his excitement. He had
looked in the bright faces of the two "young squaws" as they rode by,
and it seemed to him as if he could fight those three miners all alone.

They saw Red Wolf join his sisters; they heard the startled cries of
Rita and Ni-ha-be, the demand for their surrender, and Red Wolf's reply.

"Now, Steve, quick! Do just as I tell you!"

Twang went Ni-ha-be's bow at that instant, and the man next to Bill was
raising his rifle to fire, when his arms were suddenly seized by a
grasp of iron and jerked behind him.

"Right at the elbows, Steve. Draw the loop hard. Quick!"

As the next of the miners turned in his tracks he was astoni