The Keepers of the Trail

t the process required a minute or two. Then he looked around the little fortress which so aptly could be called a hole in the wall. Many dried leaves

easant song, and a bright shaft of sunlight, entering, illum

icing the cooked venison with his hunting knife, and Paul, sitting on his own particular collection of leaves with his back against the wall, was polishing his ha

. He inferred, too, that nothing had happened while he slept, and rising he drank at the

eep," sa

" said

t judgment in ch

nd here friends, a bed,

, in fact,

n do without

f the inn is the roof. Certainly no rain

nd you will notice that the ceiling h

served it more closely now, with al

ork well, some

ded him stri

ng to eat, but as you came late an' we haven't much chance to git anythin' else you'll he

rtily, drank again, and went to the

said Tom, "an' you kin see everythin'

ck foliage on the other side. It looked beautiful in its deep green, still heavy with the rain drops o

tirring, To

shine o' a red blanket 'mong them trees over thar, fo

k they'll tr

om shook

ow we're after thar cannon an' they mean to see that we don't git near 'em. Ef they could keep us

ant men as Red Eagle and

' finish us in a day or two. Look at tha

They want to talk with us. Somebody has hoisted a piece of old

range now. May I send a bullet

not. There's Blackstaffe behind Wyatt, and two more Indians. Let them come within a

s came on with confidence, until the

pped and Wya

h you and it's bette

s," said Paul. "We're the best jud

d. Now, we have you fellows shut up there. All we've got to do is to wait until your food giv

stocking it up with food. We could live here a year in comfort. Long Jim is cooking deer steaks now, and the smoke is going out thro

taunting one's enemies. He believed that in

Jim is letting the fire die down and if you do

called back in anger. "You've read too many books. Dr

d and we have the right to shoot you, but we won

re than two or three days. Surrender and we'll spare your lives and take y

y excep

warriors that I don't think we

kes you thin

taffe spoke together a few moment

rs was strangled nearly to death last ni

aughed

myself. I was needing a little exercise and so I went out, found this warr

s face

he exclaimed. "You cou

ot. We always respect a flag of truce, though we doubt whether you would. Now, I want to ask you what have we ever done to make you think we'd betray a comrade like Henry? Are you judgin

dians retired hurriedly. Long Jim

ter with you, J

een ins

? What do

t me an' the others would be mean enough

eyes t

how do you know, if our places had been ch

ong Jim in the utmost good humor. "Now I wo

He'll be hanging around, ready to

ss Sol, though it don't always 'pear on the sur

ing, and then

they'll give it

and I think it likely also that t

they've all gone some di

it, but why do

an' cook that thar deer afore it sp'ils. We've some wood already, but we need more. I think we could manage so most uv

it. We three will cove

eturning with his last load that the Indians noticed him. Then they sent up a war cry, and fired several distant shots. But it was too late. Long

"I'm goin' to build a fire close to the door, where most uv the smoke will go out. Ef it gits to

f the way outside, in such a position that they were sure the wind would take the smoke and most of the heat down the valley. Then Long Jim, feeling that the rest of the task was his,

ications of the cold water enabled them to stand it. Meanwhile all except the one on guard were busy broiling big

rd at that particular moment. "They've seen our smok

and it," said Henry, "and if curiosity makes

oah against the flood," Paul said, knowing that Silent T

er all this is over," said Paul. "Smoke will gather an

le more on that shelf in the rock, thar, Paul. Wrap the dry leaves 'roun' 'em, too. They're clea

Ulys

d years or some sech time, would hev been glad to come upon a place like th

t is

vers thar like the Ohio or Missip. I ain't heard you say anythin' about the grand fore

a dry country

every way, an' the leaves so thick you kin hardly see the sky above i

have our kind

v our kind they di

ancient glories, when modern glories that he considered so much greater were before his e

re right, J

n' long spear come out try in' to stalk an' Injun camp. Why, they'd hear his armor rattlin' a quarter uv a mile away, an', even ef they didn't, he'd git his long spear so tangled up in the bushes an' vines that he couldn't move 'less he left it behind him. An' s'pos'n' he had to run fur it a

act that this country woul

untin' the buff'ler with your long spear, an' your hundred pounds uv brass clothes on. Why, the Shawnees an' Miamis are a heap more sensible than them old Greek

opposite!" announced He

Long Jim. "I'm too busy t

rees and bushes. They can't understand o

a signal," said Paul. "A

ral. Well, let 'em wonder. Meanwhile we'l

ook in the world, it'll all be done in a couple uv hours more, an'

tly. "In fact we mustn't let it be too long. We've got to

out of range, but attentively watching the smoke that came from the mouth of the cavern. When the task was nearly

A little while ago I wuz laughin' at the notion of A-killus with a hundred pounds or more uv brass on him, run

e then, Jim, what

n. They see smoke comin' out uv it, an' they don't understand it. They wonder ef fire hez busted right out uv the bowels uv the earth

ted on men who want to ki

es. Keeps you so you can't eat an' sleep, nor keep still neither. Jest plum' w'ars you out. Ef you know what you're goin' to do you're all right, but ef you don't you're all wrong. That's the reason

d out to die among the green bushes. While the work was going on they had frequently thrown water from the little stream over themselves to check the heat, but now they took t

sting of smoke from nostrils and throat. The place itself soon filled entirely with a new atmosphere, vital and strong. Then, one by one, they bathed their eyes and faces at the rill, and so

an' now they're bothered 'cause thar ain't no smoke. They're wonderin' ef the volcano that busted right under us hez quit so soon, an' whether we're a

has really happened, and ac our army of four is now

ll the surroundin's you give it I understan' it, an' it sounds mighty fine. Braxton Wyatt, I bid you defiance; Blackstaffe, I bid you defiance; Red Eagle, I bid y

Jim," said Paul. "Ajax

I ain't defyin' no lightnin', past, present or future. I know lightnin', an' I've too

sting. They won't do anything today, but tonight they'll act. They have every incentive to finish th

the deep, rich colors as they faded. The wind had blown gently all day long, but now with the coming of the darkness it swelled into the song which he alone heard, that playing of the breeze upon the leaves, which his supe

elt certain the attack would come before it was over. Paul and Tom went to sleep on the leaves inside, but he and Jim lay down j

hey'll come a-creepin', an' a-slidin', an' I reckon it'll be e

nd they're going to do it again. I've an idea that th

s a chief uv sense, and he'll scatter his forc

ng upon the leaves. There was no other sound, but, when it was nearly midnight,

lonely wolf," w

ed back. "That's no wol

s shorely howlin' like

e long yelping, whining note filled the whole valley and quivered on the air. It rose and sa

mean by sech an awful howl

He's hanging somewhere on the outskirts of the Indian

is one uv the smartest men the world hez ever seed, an' while par

Tom and tell 'em t

ge, moving from place to place, whined and howled incessantly. Despite Henry's knowledge of its source it made his hair rise a little, and a quiver ran along his spine. What then must be its

by the wind. A moment later, and the rustling came from a second point and then a third. As he had surmised, Red Eagle had spread out his men until they were a

creeping?" whisp

d shoved forward the

s in a minute,"

aring was keenest. The faint, sliding sounds ceased, and he knew that the warriors had stopped to listen for their e

e waiting, and then Henry heard the renewal of t

"When they're near enough they'll all jump

ching up the second rifle sent a bullet through another. The other three fired with deadly aim and all the assailants fell back, save one who, standing on the very edge of the opening, whirled his tomahawk preparatory to letting it go straight at Henry's head. But a mom

everish haste. Henry, however, fou

r the shot th

ook hi

't me,"

you,

t not that one. It was a

st hev been

rior off thar to the left. When that feller w

hankful that we've a friend outside. Nobody

Sol. He's settin' off somewhar in the bushe

enry, "but whenever they come

ol at the same time. But I think we ought to remove the body of

rms and tossed him as far as he could down the side of the hill. They heard the body

"but it had to be done. Besides, th

other attempt ton

e lost too many men. They

," said Silent Tom, "while me a

y, "but I want to wait

at

-or rather

long howling note of a wolf came from a

enry, and five minutes later he