d make him laugh and come close, because you were such a bad
shot. It does more harm than good, my lad."

_Crack_!

Joses' rifle uttered its sharp report just then, and the firing ceased
from a spot whence shot after shot had been coming with the greatest
regularity, and the rough fellow turned grimly to his young companion.

"I don't like telling you to do it, Master Bart, because you're such a
young one, and it seems, of course, shocking to say shoot men. But then
you see these ain't hardly like men; they're more like rattlesnakes. We
haven't done them no harm, and we don't want to do them no harm, but all
the same they will come and they'll kill the lot of us if they can; so
the time has come when you must help us, for you're a good shot, my lad,
and every bullet you put into the Injun means one more chance for us to
save our scalps, and help the Doctor with his plans."

"Must I fire _at_ them then, Joses?" said Bart, sadly.

"Yes, my lad, you must. They're five or six times as many as we are,
and they're coming slowly on, creeping from bush to bush, so as to get a
closer shot at us. There, I tell you what you do; fire at their chests,
aim right at the painted skull they have there. That'll knock 'em down
and stop 'em, and it'll comfort you to think that they may get better
again."

"Don't talk foolery, Joses," cried Bart, angrily, "Do you think I'm a
child?"

Joses chuckled, and took aim at a bush that stood above a clump of
rocks, one from which another Indian was firing regularly; but just then
the Beaver's rifle sent forth its bullet, and Bart saw an Indian spring
up on to the rocks, utter a fierce yell, shake his rifle in the air, and
then fall headlong into the river.

"Saved my charge," said Joses, grimly. "There, I won't fool about with
you, Master Bart, but tell you the plain truth. It's struggle for life
out here; kill or be killed; and you must fight for yourself and your
friends like a man. For it isn't only to serve yourself, lad, but
others. It's stand by one another out here, man by man, and make
enemies feel that you are strong, or else make up your mind to go under
the grass."

Bart sighed and shuddered, for he more than once realised the truth of
what his companion said. But he hesitated no longer, for these savages
were as dangerous as the rattlesnakes of the plains, and he felt that
however painful to his feelings, however dreadful to have to shed human
blood, the time had co