A PLUCKY DEFENCE 155

speed. A score of bullets were fired at him, and
fully twenty arrows whistled past his ears, but the
wound the animal had received, together with the
yells of the red-skins, terrified it to such an extent
that it tore along lke a born racer.

He soon began to widen the distance, and when
he dashed up to the ranche the enemy was fully half
a mile behind. His shouts as he neared the place
gave the alarm, and the wife of the stock-raiser came
out to meet him. To his dismay, she told him that
her husband and his man had gone away an hour
before, and she was alone in the house. Webber
was in a fix. The cabin stood on rising ground
about twenty yards from the river, and could be
approached from any side.

“What arms have you got?” he asked.

“ A Colt’s revolver,” she replied.

“I have a2 Winchester rifle. We must hold ’em
off until assistance comes. Help me off.”

The woman assisted him to alight. Then he
gave his horse a slap and sent it galloping off
up the trail. The first white man who saw the
animal would understand that something was
wrong, and that his assistance was asked for down
the trail.

Meanwhile the Indians came up, and halted out
of range to see what was about to take place. This
gave Webber time to arrange his plan of defence.
Iic knew his pursuers were “bad” Indians, who