the two women with loaded guns on guard over ’em.  If any on ’em woke up they was to ride the nightmare er lay still.  Jack an’ me an’ Buckeye sneaked back up the trail fer ‘bout twenty rod with our guns, an’ then I told the young Injun to shoot off the moose call.  Wall, sir, ye could ‘a’ heerd it from Albany to Wing’s Falls.  The answer come an’ jest as I ’spected, ‘twere within a quarter o’ a mile.  I put Jack erbout fifty feet further up the trail than I were, an’ Buckeye nigh him, an’ tol ’em what to do.  We skootched down in the bushes an’ heerd ’em comin’!  Purty soon they hove in sight—­two Injuns, the two wimmin captives an’ a white man—­the wust-lookin’ bulldog brute that I ever seen—­stumpin’ erlong lively on a wooden leg, with a gun an’ a cane.  He had a broad head an’ a big lop mouth an’ thick lips an’ a long, red, warty nose an’ small black eyes an’ a growth o’ beard that looked like hog’s bristles.  He were stout built.  Stood ’bout five foot seven.  Never see sech a sight in my life.  I hopped out afore ’em an’ Jack an’ Buckeye on their heels.  The Injun had my ol’ hanger.

“‘Drop yer guns,’ says I.

“The white man done as he were told.  I spoke English an’ mebbe them two Injuns didn’t understan’ me.  We’ll never know.  Ol’ Red Snout leaned over to pick up his gun, seein’ as we’d fired ours.  There was a price on his head an’ he’d made up his mind to fight.  Jack grabbed him.  He were stout as a lion an’ tore ‘way from the boy an’ started to pullin’ a long knife out o’ his boot leg.  Jack didn’t give him time.  They had it hammer an’ tongs.  Red Snout were a reg’lar fightin’ man.  He jest stuck that ‘ere stump in the ground an’ braced ag’in’ it an’ kep’ a-slashin’ an’ jabbin’ with his club cane an’ yellin’ an’ cussin’ like a fiend o’ hell.  He knocked the boy down an’ I reckon he’d ‘a’ mellered his head proper if he’d ‘a’ been spryer on his pins.  But Jack sprung up like he were made o’ Injy rubber.  The bulldog devil had drawed his long knife.  Jack were smart.  He hopped behind a tree.  Buckeye, who hadn’t no gun, was jumpin’ fer cover.  The peg-leg cuss swore a blue streak an’ flung the knife at him.  It went cl’ar through his body an’ he fell on his face an’ me standin’ thar loadin’ my gun.  I didn’t know but he’d lick us all.  But Jack had jumped on him ’fore he got holt o’ the knife ag’in.

“I thought sure he’d floor the boy an’ me not quite loaded, but Jack were as spry as a rat terrier.  He dodged an’ rushed in an’ grabbed holt o’ the club an’ fetched the cuss a whack in the paunch with his bare fist, an’ ol’ Red Snout went down like a steer under the ax.

“’Look out! there’s ‘nother man comin’,’ the young womern hollered.

“She needn’t ‘a’ tuk the trouble ‘cause afore she spoke I were lookin’ at him through the sight o’ my ol’ Marier which I’d managed to git it loaded ag’in.  He were runnin’ towards me.  He tuk jest one more step, if I don’t make no mistake.