he had to deal with.

A sharp, deep-throated order to three of his braves was rapidly obeyed,
and in a few minutes more the miners heard their Captain's voice,
excitedly,

"Halt! They've brought out the boys. They've stopped firing."

It was precisely so. There were Bill and his two mates, on foot, with
their arms tied behind them, and before each stood a Lipan, with his
lance levelled, ready to strike.

"That's plain, boys. They've got their lesson. Don't want any more.
Want a talk. They'll kill those three if we don't hold up."

"We've only lost two, Cap, and we've laid out more'n a dozen of them."

"Save the boys!"

"No fault of their'n."

"Have a talk, Cap."

"We'll have to give up something if we do. They'll never give us back
the outfit."

"You know what we want. We're close to the border now."

"All right. I'll ride out. I reckon their chief'll come to meet me."

The meaning of the Lipans had been plain enough. The sudden firing of
the miners upon their superior force had had all the effect of a
surprise.

They were furiously angry over their losses, but their wise leader saw
that he must give them a breathing-spell. No troops in the world could
stand a fire so withering as that which came from the repeating-rifles
of the desperadoes. Quite as many ponies as men had gone down, and
their morning's plunder had already cost them more than it was worth.
Therefore it must not be permitted to cost them any more, if they could
help it by threats and talking.

CHAPTER XVIII

There was a good deal of beauty as well as convenience in the spot
which the Apache braves had chosen for their camp on the bank of the
river.

Many Bears had approved of it when he came in, but he had said nothing
about the beauty of it. He had only ordered two or three trusty
warriors to go at once and hunt for a ford, so that he could get upon
the opposite bank of the river if necessary.

It was some little time before they found one, a mile lower down, and
then they and the great chief were astonished by a report brought in to
him by Dolores with his supper. Some of the squaws, she said, had
taken their children into the river for a bath, right there by the
camp, and one of them had found a place where she could wade across and
back.

It was afterward found to be a flat ledge of rock, with deep water
above and below, but it was none the less a bitter pill for the pride
of the warriors.

To think of