hen's head that there was no need of the energy with which
we all followed suit, piling all over him to pin him down like hounds
that have rolled their quarry over.

The German was stunned--knocked into utter oblivion--breathing like a
sleeping drunkard, and bleeding freely from the nose. Coutlass jumped
off him and began to execute a war dance up and down, yelling like a
madman until Fred threatened him with the rifle and Will gagged him
from behind.

"Do you want his armed men down on us, you ass?"

"Gassharamminy!" he laughed. "I forgot about them! Let us go and eat
their supper!" He spoke as a man who had full right now to be
considered a member in good standing. We all noticed it, and exchanged
glances; but that was no time for argument about men's rights.

Brown was already over the rim of the hollow and making in the
direction of the tents. We called him back and compelled him to stay
on guard over the prisoners, to his awful disgust, for he suspected
there was whisky among Schillingschen's "chop-boxes." But so did we!
We left all our boys with him except Kazimoto, threatening them with
hitherto unheard of penalties if they dared as much as show a lock of
hair above the rim of the hollow while we were gone.

Then the rest of us, with Fred leading and Kazimoto last of all, crept
out and sought the lowest level along which to reach the camp. Will
had taken Schillingschen's rifle and went next after Fred. Coutlass
followed so close on my heels that more than once he trod on them, and
once so nearly tripped me that Fred called a halt behind some bushes
and cursed me for clumsiness.

But it turned out to be easy hunting. The ten boys had tied the
donkeys up to a rope in line and sat crooning while their supper cooked
at a long bright fire. We came up to Schillingschen's tent from
behind, crept around the side of it, and in a moment had three more
good weapons, I taking the big-bore elephant gun that had dealt with us
so savagely on the lake, Coutlass seizing another Mauser, and Kazimoto
adopting the shot-gun.

The rest was child's play. We marched out of the tent all abreast and
called on the ten boys to surrender, making them put up their hands
until Coutlass had found their five rifles and ammunition. They were
too astonished even to ask questions. Accustomed to Schillingschen's
despotic orders, they obeyed ours silently, showing no symptoms of
trying to bolt, having nowhere to bolt to; but we t