"well now, george," said aggie the next morning, as they stood near the partially burned wagon and watched mr. harwood and his young men, as they hastily endeavored to repair the damage that had been done, "i should think you never would smoke again in your life."
"i didn't smoke last night," retorted george, "i only tried to, and to try to smoke and to do it are two very different things, i can tell you," and george grimaced most comically at the remembrance of some very extraordinary sensations he had experienced, both before and after the fire.
"if you don't believe me you can try it," he added, as aggie looked at him thoughtfully.
"i wasn't thinking of what you were saying," she replied, "but of what a horrible death guy saved you from."
"that's a fact," returned george, with much seriousness. "guy ain't a bad sort after all!"
"not a bit of a guy fawkes about him," commented gus. "he don't believe in blowing up folks with gunpowder."
"nor with words either," interrupted aggie, "but who was guy fawkes, gus?"
"oh, a man put a lot of gunpowder in the cellar of the english house of congress."
"of parliament," corrected george.
"of parliament, then, it means all the same thing, and he intended when the king and all the members of parliament were in the house to set fire to the powder and blow them all up. but they found out the plot just in time, and guy was hung up; or had his head chopped of, i forget which."
"good for him" said george. "hullo, here comes guy, looking really frightened for once in his life! what is the matter, guy?"
but guy made him no answer, but hurried on to mr. harwood and whispered a few words in his ear.
"you don't say so!" he ejaculated with a startled look. "whereabouts are they?"
"back of the camp, sir. mr. graham says he thinks they are after the cattle and horses. but they are to far off for us to see them plainly, and it was some time before i could make mr. graham believe they were indians at all."
"indians!" exclaimed george and gus, turning pale, and with out more ado, rushing from the spot, not only as they said "to tell mother," but to gain a place of safety.
"take aggie to the wagon," said mr. harwood hastily, though he could not help smiling at the precipitate flight of his boys. "be as quick as you can, and bring me my telescope."
guy did as he was bidden, but although so quickly that he did not even take time to say a few words of encouragement to aggie. he found the telescope was little needed when he gave it into mr. harwood's hands. the indians had drawn so close that their movements could be perfectly seen.
"at least thirty young braves!" said mr. harwood anxiously. "a party of horse thieves no doubt! we shall have trouble!"
"and all on account of this unfortunate delay!" exclaimed mr. graham. "we should have been on our way three hours ago, but for your son's carelessness."
"that is very true. yet we should scarcely have escaped the quick eyes of these wild savages."
"we will try to save the oxen and horses from their hands at least!" cried a young man, turning to a group who had hastily armed themselves.
in an incredible short space of time they had made a circle of the wagons, and within this barricade they placed the cattle, and stationed themselves at regular distances without the wagons. mr. harwood and mr. graham stood beside the wagon in which all the ladies had congregated, and with quiet, though great anxiety, waited for the attack to be commenced. they had no idea that it could be avoided for all mr. harwood's signals, during the formation of the barricade had been totally disregarded, and the savages in all the hideousness of paint and warlike decorations were riding rapidly around the camp in a gradually decreasing circle.
"guy, my boy, you had better go into our wagon," said mr. harwood, as guy, with a favorite dog at his side, drew near to him. guy looked him doubtfully a moment, and with visible reluctance proceeded to obey the direction which had been given him. suddenly, however, he turned back and with an appealing look at mr. harwood said:
"i wish you would give me a gun, sir, and let me stay here."
"do as you please," cried mr. harwood hastily, and guy rushed to a wagon for the desired weapon, and back again to his place.
just then the indians made a feint of going away. they retired slowly a little way, then suddenly wheeled, and galloped back towards the camp, discharging a volley of arrows as they came.
fortunately they injured no one, but the second fire was not so harmless, and was returned steadily by mr. harwood and his men from their rifles. but the indians were too far off, and changed their positions too often to be affected by it.
the firing continued in this manner for fifteen minutes or more. two of mr. harwood's men were seriously wounded, and obliged to retire to the wagons, and the others were eagerly speaking of dividing into two parties, one of which was to remain to guard the camp, while the other sallied out to drive off the indians. it seemed a mad undertaking, as mr. harwood said, to divide so small a force, and they were spared the necessity of doing so by the savages themselves, who enraged at the death of one of their number, and confident of success, rode boldly up to the very sides of the wagons, and with showers of arrows, and brandishing their war-clubs, uttering at the same time the most dreadful yells, endeavored to overcome the white men and gain possession of the animals, that snorting and plunging with terror at the unusual rounds of shouting and firing were striving vainly to break their bounds. terrible was the struggle that ensued. for a few minutes the shrieks of the women and children, the shouts of the white men, the yells of the indians, the reports of fire-arms, and the indescribable noises made by the frightened animals filled the air.
guy was almost stunned with the noise and bewildered by the confusion that prevailed. he never thought of firing his gun, and had no idea which party had the advantage, he, in fact, felt perfectly overwhelmed, not with fear, but horror, and quite regardless of his danger, remained an inactive spectator of the scene, until he beheld mr. harwood struggling violently with an indian who had thrown himself from his horse in the excitement of the fight.
mr. harwood was himself a muscular man, and the struggle between the two was terrible to witness. for a minute neither seemed to have the advantage, then the strong indian got his arm across mr. harwood's breast and held him back, he raised his right hand in which glittered a long knife already stained with blood. some unusual sound for a moment attracted the savage's attention, he glanced around. guy seized the opportunity, raised his gun and fired.
he was not knocked over by the shock, but the indian was. down he went, and mr. harwood with him, but only to remain there a moment. he sprang up and echoed the shout of triumph which was heard from the other side of the camp.
the fight was ended; the indians defeated, away they sped with lightning speed, bearing their wounded, among which was mr. harwood's special adversary, with them, and leaving their dead upon the ground.
of these there were two. but little notice was taken of them at first, for the members of the train were too busy attending to the wounded, and examining their own hurts, to think of indians, unless it was to look occasionally to satisfy themselves that they were really gone, and that there was no farther trouble to be apprehended from them.
"i wonder who it was that knocked that great fellow over that was holding me down," said mr. harwood, after he had embraced his family, and assured them that he was very little hurt. "i wish i knew who it was, i have somebody to thank for saving my life."
"here is the fellow!" cried gus, catching guy as he was about to jump from the wagon. "he has got one of your guns, too, and it was only a little while ago you told him not to touch them."
"guy!" exclaimed mr. harwood, "can it be possible that you fired that well-directed shot?"
"i couldn't help it, sir, the ball seemed to know just where to go, and the gun to shoot of itself," returned guy, with a slight laugh—a vain attempt to hide his emotion.
mr. harwood made no effort to conceal his, and catching him in his arms embraced him warmly, as he exclaimed: "my dear boy, have i then my own life to thank you for, as well as that of my son? how shall i be able to repay you?"
"don't say any more," entreated guy, who was being nearly suffocated by his mother, mr. harwood and the children, who were pulling him hither and thither to their heart's content.
"why didn't you shoot his head right off?" ask george, when the commotion had slightly subsided. "i would if i had had a gun, and been in your place."
"but you weren't at all likely to be in his place or any other where arrows were flying," interrupted gus, with a laugh, which quickly subsided into a smothered titter as george looked at him, with the remark: "you had better mind your bones."
"i intend to," said gus, coolly, "but you needn't glare at me so. you're not a gorgon, i guess, and can't turn me into stone by a look."
"i am very glad guy didn't knock the indian's head right off," interposed aggie, anxious to prevent a quarrel between the two boys.
"aren't you glad of it, guy, you wouldn't have liked to have killed him dead, would you?"
"oh no!" returned guy, laughing. "it answered my purpose just to kill him a little. indeed," he added, turning pale at the thought, "i hope the poor man will not die."
"don't trouble yourself about that," said mr. harwood, taking in his hand the gun which guy had still retained, but then offered him, "you nobly did your duty, my boy, and though we will hope that the man will recover, we will not worry, because we cannot learn whether he does or not."
"i say, the men are harnessing the teams," exclaimed george. "let us go and pick up some of the arrows the indians threw around so plentifully."
"yes," answered guy, "and i'll bring you one, aggie."
"stay," said mr. harwood, "here, guy, is a more fitting weapon for you. take this gun, and though i hope you may never again be obliged to use it against a fellow-creature, i hope your shots will always be as well directed as that of to-day."
"whew!" ejaculated george, "don't i wish i had knocked that fellow over to-day! guy, why don't you say thank you?"
"he's like the little boy that would not say 'thank you' for a new jack-knife," laughed gus, "he'd rather use the old 'un fust."
in truth, guy was so delighted with mr. harwood's words, and the gift that accompanied them, that he knew not what to say. to possess a gun, had long been his highest and most secret ambition, and to have one, really his own, in his hands, seemed, as he afterwards said, "far too good to be true."
"never mind the thanks," exclaimed mr. harwood, as guy vainly tried to utter something, "we understand each other, though my debt is not paid yet. you can go now and look for arrows, if you like."
but guy thought but little of arrows, or even of his gun, for some minutes after he left the wagon, for just then four of the mules, who had not recovered from their fright, broke away from the men who were trying to quiet them, and galloped across the plains in the opposite direction to that the indians had taken. two young men immediately mounted the swiftest horses in the train and set off in pursuit, and a fine chase they had. over an hour passed before they brought the refractory animals back, and an exciting time the boys had watching the race, and shouting and hurrahing when the foaming, panting creatures rushed into the camp, followed by their almost breathless pursuers.
"but this isn't finding arrows!" said guy, at last, suddenly remembering aggie, and the promise he had made her. and, after the train was in motion, he found two beautiful arrows, and took them to her. she accepted them with delight, telling guy she would keep them all her life, in remembrance of that eventful day. "and so you see," she added, addressing in fancy the cross old chief that had frightened her so terribly, "i have got one of your indian arrows, after all, and i'll keep it too. my good guy has got a gun now, and that's more than you have, and he knows how to use it, that's more than you will ever do."
