ere were the horses and cattle, the former in
the cavern-like stable, the latter in their stonewalled corral or
enclosure.

Here was a difficulty, for now, however strong their defence might be,
they were isolated, and it would be awkward in case of attack to have
two small parties of men detailed for the guarding of these places,
which the Indians would be sure to attack in force, in place of throwing
their lives away against the well-defended mountain path.

"Couldn't we contrive a gallery along the face of the mountain, right
along above the ravine and the stables, sir?" said Bart. "I think some
stones might be loosened out, and a broad ledge made, too high for the
Indians to climb up, and with a good wall of stones along the edge we
could easily defend the horses."

"A good idea, Bart, if it can be carried out," said the Doctor. "Let's
go and see!"

Inspection proved that this could easily be done so as to protect the
horses, but not the corral, unless its position were altered and it were
placed close alongside of the cavern stable.

After so much trouble had been taken in rearing this wall it seemed a
great pity, but the men willingly set to work, while some loosened
stones from above, and levered them down with bars, these fallen stones
coming in handy for building up the wall.

Fineness of finish was not counted; nothing but a strong barrier which
the cattle could not leap or throw down, if an attempt was made to scare
them into a stampede, was all that was required, and so in a few days
not only was this new corral strongly constructed, and the ledge
projected fifty feet above it in the side of the mountain had been
excavated, and edged with a strong wall of rock.

There was but little room, only advantage was taken of holes in the
rock, which were enlarged here and there so as to form a kind of
rifle-pit, in which there was plenty of space for a man to creep and
kneel down to load and fire at any enemy who should have determined to
carry off the cattle. In fine, they had at last a strong place of
defence, only to be reached from a spot about a hundred feet up the
sloping way to the summit of the mountain; and the road to and from the
bastion, as the Doctor called it, was quite free from observation in the
plain, if the defenders crept along on hands and knees.

Beneath the entrance to this narrow gallery a very strong wall was built
nearly across the slope; and at Bart's suggestion a couple of huge