Tad stepped nimbly aside and tried to trip his adversary, but the Indian was too sharp to be caught that way.

“If he ever gets those arms around me I’m a goner,” thought Tad, taking mental measure of his antagonist.

Suddenly the Indian swooped down, making a grab for the rifle that he had dropped.

As the redskin stooped, Tad hit him a wallop on the head with the tent stake.  It must have made the savage see a shower of stars.

At least, it staggered him so he was glad to let the weapon remain where it was.  For a few seconds the air was full of flying legs and arms, during which the boy landed three times on the red man, being himself unhurt.

Then the Indian succeeded in rushing into a clinch, and Tad found himself gripped in those arms of steel.  Wriggle and twist as be would he could not free himself from their embrace.  His adversary, on the other hand, found himself fully occupied in holding on to his slippery young antagonist, giving him neither time nor opportunity effectually to dispose of the slender lad.

Tad was unusually muscular for his years, to which was added no little skill as wrestler.  The Indian soon discovered both these qualities.  And, at about that time, the lad was resorting to every trick he knew to place the Indian in a position where he could be thrown.

The moment came with disconcerting suddenness, and Mr. Redman uttered a loud grunt as he landed on the ground, flat on his back.  With a spring he lifted himself up, and the next instant he had thrown the slight figure of the Pony Rider Boy so heavily that everything about Tad grew black.  He felt himself going.  Then all at once he lost consciousness.

When finally he awakened, Tad found a figure still bending over him.

Quick as a flash the boy’s arms went up, encircling the neck of the man kneeling by him.  The next instant the fellow was on his back, with Tad sitting on his chest.

“Here, here!  What’s the matter with you?” gasped a muffled voice, which Tad instantly recognized.

“Kris Kringle!” he gasped.

“Yes; and you nearly knocked the breath out of me,” grinned the guide, struggling to his feet.  “Well, you certainly are a whirlwind.”

“I—­ I thought you were the Indian,” mattered Tad in a sheepish tone.

“If it had been, there would have been no need for my interference.”

“Where is he?”

“Over there, tied up.  Both of them are.  We’ll decide what to do with them when we get the party together.”

“Tell me what happened,” begged Tad.

The other fellow was so busy watching the cave that he forgot to keep his ears open.  I was able to approach him without being detected.  When I got near enough I laid the butt of my rifle over his head.  No, I didn’t hurt him much.  Just made him curl up on the ground long enough to enable me to tie his hands and feet.

“About that time I caught the sound of something going on over here.  I made a run, suspecting that you were mixing it up with the other redskin.  Guess I was just in time, too, for he had you down and was reaching for something—­”