e are going to have visitors," he said.

The bushes were crackling loudly at the neck of the point and a moment
later a body of men came into view. As they clambered over the
barricade, Charley counted them. They were twelve in number, one of
them an Indian, his face disfigured by a long scar that gave to it a
sinister, malignant expression.

"Keep close together and your guns handy," counseled Charley, as the
band approached. "I declare, if they aren't all unarmed," he added.

"What in the world is the matter with them?" whispered Walter in
amazement; "see, some of them can hardly walk."

As the men drew nearer, our little party's wonder grew. Most of them
dragged themselves forward with stumbling footsteps. Their faces were
haggard, their hands moving restlessly and their features twitching.
They looked like men who had been for days undergoing severe mental and
physical strain and were on the verge of collapse.

Our hunters drew close together with their guns, close to hand and
awaited the convicts' coming with lessened apprehension as they saw
that they carried no guns.

The leader staggered in front, the balance following him like starved
sheep. He stopped before the captain and sank to a seat on a stump.
The perspiration stood in great drops on his face and he was breathing
heavily.

"Strangers," he said hoarsely, "if you've got any tobacco, fer mercy'
sake, loan us some. We haven't had a scrap for two days."

The boys had hard work to restrain a laugh, but the captain hastily
unbuckled the flap of his saddle-bags and brought out a huge package of
plug tobacco which he passed over to the spokesman.

"I brought it along to give to the Indians in case we met any, but I
reckon you need it a heap sight worse," he said mildly.

Without a word of thanks the man tore the package open and distributed
the plugs amongst his followers, and in a moment jaws and pipes were
going vigorously on the enslaving weed.

In five minutes a change was visible; slouching backs began to
straighten, dull eyes commenced to brighten, and the color to steal
back into haggard faces.

"I'm glad I never got into the habit of using it, now I have seen what
a slave it can make of a strong man," whispered Walter in disgust.

"Some of our soldier boys in Cuba went crazy for a while when deprived
of the use of it," said Charley. "None of it for me. It doesn't do a
young growing fellow any good."

As his muscles and nerves re