ses, the one giving warning
that a very strong body of mounted men was appearing over the plains,
the other that the savages from the canyon had fought their way up the
chimney, and were coming on to the attack.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

MOURNING LOST FRIENDS.

The failure of the Beaver and his follower to put in an appearance made
Bart's heart sink down like lead, while Joses turned to him with a dull
look of misery in his eye.

"It's bad, Master Bart," he said; "it's very bad. I hates all Indians
as hard as ever I can hate 'em, but somehow the Beaver and me seemed to
get on well together, and if I'd knowed what was going to happen, it
isn't me as would have come away and left him in the lurch."

"No, Joses, neither would I," said Bart, bitterly. "But do you think--"

"Do I think he has escaped, my lad?" said Joses, sadly, for Bart could
not finish his speech; "no, I don't. The savage creatures came upon him
sudden, or they knocked him over with a bullet, and he has died like an
Indian warrior should."

"No," said a sharp voice behind them; and the interpreter stood there
with flashing eyes gazing angrily at the speakers. "No," he cried
again, "the Beaver-with-Sharp-Teeth is too strong for the miserable
Apache. He will come back. They could not kill a warrior like that."

"Well, I hope you're right, Mr Interpreter," growled Joses. "I hope
you are right, but I shall not believe it till I see him come."

There was no time for further conversation, the approach of the enemies
being imminent. On the one side, far out on the plain, were scattered
bodies of the Apaches, evidently in full war-paint, riding about in some
kind of evolution; and, as the Doctor could see with his glass, for the
most part armed with spears.

Some of the men bore the strong short bow that had been in use among
them from time immemorial, and these could be made out by the thick
quiver they had slung over their backs. But, generally speaking, each
Indian carried a good serviceable rifle, pieces of which they could make
deadly use.

At present there seemed to be no intention of making an immediate
attack, the Indians keeping well out in the plain beyond the reach of
rifle-ball, though every now and then they gathered together, and as if
at the word of command, swept over the ground like a whirlwind, and
seemed bent upon charging right up to the mountain.

This, however, they did not do, but turned off each time and rode back