he wrenched his knife from its light sheath,
when suddenly there was a fierce volley from on high--a fire that took
the Indians in the rear. Six fell, and the rest, stunned by this
terrible attack from a fresh quarter, turned on the instant, and fled up
the canyon, followed by a parting fire from which a couple more fell.

"Hurray!" shouted Joses; "now for the chimney. Come, Master Bart! Now,
Beaver--now's your time!"

They ran from cover to cover, meeting shot after shot from below, and in
a minute were close up with the Beaver and his three men, who were hard
pressed by the advancing party.

"Now, Beaver," cried Joses, finishing the re-loading of his piece, "what
do you say to a bold rash forward--right to the mouth of the chimney?"

"Yes," said the chief; "shoot much first."

"Good," cried Joses. "Now, Master Bart, fire three or four times
wherever there's a chance, and then re-load and forward."

These orders were carried out with so good an effect that the Apaches
below were for the moment checked, and seemed staggered by this
accession of strength, giving the little party an opportunity to make
their bold advance, running from bush to bush and from rock to rock
until they were well up to the mouth of the chimney, but now in terribly
close quarters with their enemies, who held their fire, expecting that
the advance would be continued right on to a hand-to-hand encounter.

Then there was a pause and a dead silence, during which, in obedience to
signs made by the Beaver, first one and then another crept behind the
bushes to the mouth of the chimney, entered it, and began to ascend.
There was a bit of a fight between Bart and Joses as to which should be
first, with the result that the latter went first, then Bart followed,
and the Beaver came last.

So close was it, though, that as they climbed up the steep narrow rocky
slope there was a fierce yell and a rush, and they saw the light
slightly obscured as the Apaches dashed by the entrance in a fierce
charge, meant to overwhelm them.

Directly after the canyon seemed to be filled with yells of
disappointment and rage, as the Apaches found that their intended
victims had eluded them just as they had vowed their destruction.

This gave a minute's grace, sufficient for the fugitives to get some
little distance up the narrow rock passage, the Beaver and Bart pausing
by the top of the steepest piece of rock about a hundred feet above the
entrance, which, over