he two Indians retreated slowly.

_Crack_! went Joses' rifle, and he uttered a low growl.

"I'll swear I hit him, but I dunno whether it touched the t'other one--a
cowardly skunk, to sneak behind his fellow like that."

_Crack_--_crack_--_crack_--_crack_! four rifles uttered their reports,
which seemed to reverberate from the face of the mountain; and as the
smoke rose slowly, and Bart could gaze at the moonlit plain, and try to
read the meaning of the fierce yell of defiance that he had heard arise,
he saw that the first Indian lay upon his back with the moon shining
upon his ghastly, painted breast, while his companion was rapidly
disappearing as he ran swiftly over the plain.

The Beaver's rifle rang out again, and he started up into a kneeling
position, gazing after the object at which he had fired, while his
fingers mechanically reloaded his piece. Then he uttered a low guttural
cry of anger, and sank down into his former position.

"Missed him, Beaver," said Joses, quietly.

"No," was the sharp retort. "He was hit, but he will escape to his dogs
of people."

This was a tremendous speech for the chief, who, however, seemed to be
acquiring the English tongue with remarkable rapidity, the fact being
that he had long known a great deal of English, but had been too proud
to make use of it till he could speak sufficiently well to make himself
understood with ease, and therefore he had brought up the interpreter as
a medium between him and his English friends.

They watched through the rest of the night, after communicating to the
Doctor the reason for the firing, but there was no fresh alarm. The
moon rose higher, and shed a clear effulgence that seemed to make the
plain as light as day, while the shadow of the mountain appeared to
become black, and the ravines and cracks in its sides to be so many
dense marks cut in solid silver.

Daylight at last, with the silvery moon growing pale and the stars
fading out. First a heavy grey, then a silvery light, then soft,
roseate tints, followed by orange flecks far up in the east, and then
one glorious, golden blaze to herald the sun, as the great orb slowly
seemed to roll up over the edge of the plain, and bring with it life,
and light, and hope.

"Hurrah!" shouted Bart, as he rose from his cramped position in the
rifle-pit. "Oh, Joses! my back! my legs! Ah, ah! Oh my! Do rub me!
I'm so stiff I can hardly move."

"That'll soon go off, my lad. There, I suppo