Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/137

Rh from the Indians who were apparently content to await reinforcements and the dark. No attempt was made to take into cover the corpses in the open, though now and then shots were fired from the cottonwoods to scare off the buzzards that persistently hovered over the pit blasted by the dynamite.

"They'll git 'em after dark," said Harvey, "'fore the coyotes come down."

They found wood enough from old timbers among the crumbled walls of the cave-house that had once filled the cavity, and they drank sparingly of the water, though the heat was terrific as they lugged up heavy stones and cautiously built up their barricade. What little they were absolutely forced to swallow brought on cramps. Healy took no share in the work and was not asked to.

"Thar's no moon," said Harvey, discussing the chances. "I'm hopin' they'll hold off till dawn an' give us a chance to get away. Mostly the tribes is afraid of the dark 'count of witches. Anything they can't see or don't understand usually feazes 'em, but they used to attack the cliff pueblos nights, when their shamans was with 'em to egg 'em on, an' give 'em protection. They'll be boilin' mad now, 'count of the killin', an' likely the shamans 'll come along. I figger they'll wait till dark 'fore they leave the reservation, but ye can't tell. It's plumb hell waitin'. We better git some grub inter our systems. Dern 'em, they got all our stuff 'cept what was on Pete. They got some of thet, too, they warn't lookin' for."

The meal of bacon and flour-and-water bannocks,