The Frontier Boys in the Sierras Part 26

Jim and Juarez, aided by Jo, went to work cutting down trees. They were old hands at this business, and it was a caution the way the trees crashed and fell. Tom and Jeems were kept busy dragging fallen logs from the slopes of the hill, and turning them up. In two hours'

time the square, rude fort was well under way.

Tom and Juarez were then sent to take the horses to the stream to water them, and after that, to fill up every available pot, pan and dish with water in case they should be besieged for any length of time. This being done all hands turned in again to work on the fort, until it grew too dark to see. Then a fire was built near the center of the hill, and by the glare of its light they were able to continue their work.

Jim sent Juarez, now that the enemy might come at any time, to keep a lookout for them. He was the best of the boys for that work, being a natural scout, and of unusually keen vision, especially at night.

There was a deep gully running from the foot of the hill to the slope of the mountain, and Juarez followed along that toward the mountain slope. Every once in a while he would climb up and look to see if there was any sign of the approaching gang.

Juarez was confident that there would be no direct attack even under cover of the darkness of the night. For that was not the method of Gus Gols and his gang of outlaws. They would take the most secret way of approach. In fact, Juarez was positive that they would come by this same gully that he was in. Gus Gols had spoken of the gully in his pow-wow with his clan, but he had said nothing about his plan of attack. He kept all such things to himself. Juarez could hear clearly the sound of axes as the boys worked upon their fort on the hill.

CHAPTER XXVI

A NIGHT ATTACK

The sound of the work on the hill carried far through the clear, quiet air, so that the outlaws, if they were anywhere near, would have had warning that preparations were being made to receive them. At last Juarez's vigilance was rewarded. He crouched, looking over the edge of the gully in the direction of the mountain with its heavily-wooded slope.

He was positive that he saw a line of hors.e.m.e.n moving along the edge of the trees. Then he heard a horse's shoe strike a stone, and the low voices of men. A thrill went through him at the nearness of the encounter. Lucky that he and Jim had been on hand to hear the plans laid at the pow-wow, for they would in all probability have been captured or killed, since the outlaws could have rushed the camp easily. With only one of the boys on guard, there would have been no chance against the ten of them.

"What are those tenderfeet a-doin' this time of night?" growled Gus Gols, bringing his column to a halt. "They seem to be mighty busy about something."

"Maybe they have got wind of our doin's," said Eph. "I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't such tenderfeet after all."

"I'm goin' to do a little lookin' ahead," remarked Gus. "We'll hitch our cayuses in the woods, and you boys stay with 'em."

Then the leader of the gang left them and made his way to the edge of the pines. He stood looking at the hill with the light of the campfire shining on it like a big red star, and the sound of the axes came faint and clear to him. "They sure are getting ready for somebody,"

growled the giant, "and I reckon it's us, but I'm going to find out for sartain. Where's that gully?" He stalked along until he found it, and then disappeared as though the earth had swallowed him.

Now Juarez had been debating whether to go back and warn the boys that the enemy was approaching, or to find out more of what Gus Gols was going to do before reporting to Jim, the commander of the faithful.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to go ahead a ways further. At the time he made this decision Gus Gols had just entered the deep gully, and a head-on collision seemed imminent. It was a dangerous situation for Juarez.

However, one thing was in his favor, he was on the alert, and the giant, who was coming down the gully, did not expect to find any of the boys abroad, supposing that they would stay close to camp and not venture forth in the darkness. He was soon to learn that these same boys were not to be trifled with. Juarez was going along quickly, but very carefully, when he suddenly stopped and listened.

He could hear distinctly someone coming down the ravine. Just a few steps ahead of him was a shelf below the edge of the bank. Juarez made a spring and climbed up to the shelf in a jiffy, but he loosened a little dirt that slid down to the bottom of the gully. It made only a little noise, but enough to reach the ears of Gus Gols.

He stopped as though petrified, glaring ahead through the darkness.

For five minutes he stood thus with every sense ferociously alert.

Then he went forward, but with extreme caution. Every few feet he examined the floor of the gully for the signs of some footprint.

Juarez waited like a graven image, hoping that the man, whoever it might be, would continue up the gully; then he would follow and trap him when he reached the hill.

Juarez could not be sure that there was only one. He could hear nothing, but he was certain that the man was very near. Some instinct told him that. Then beneath his eyes a long, bent, stealthy figure crept into view. Gols felt the footprints in the sand of the gully, then he glared up. He saw the stooping figure of Juarez and jumped instantly back around the curve of the bank.

The game was up. Juarez leaped out on the level and made a dash for a boulder a short distance away. Just as he reached its shelter Gols fired, and the bullet zinged from the side of the rock off into the darkness. Then Gols got a surprise, for Juarez fired at a dark bunch looking over the edge of the gully. The bullet breezed his cheek and Gols ducked.

The sound of the shots aroused both sides, and the battle was on.

Juarez now backed cautiously down into a depression and ran with all his might to give the news to Jim. He got to the hill just in time to warn Jim and Jo not to go up the gully.

"This is the way they will make their attack," said Juarez. "We can station ourselves behind these trees, and, when they come out of the gully, we will let 'em have it."

"That's the scheme," agreed Jim. "Which one did you have the duel with, Juarez?"

"The blond beauty himself," replied Juarez. "He didn't miss me far either, but I made him take to cover pretty quick."

"They will be here in about fifteen minutes," said Jim. "We might as well get to our places."

Tom was left in the stockade, and Jim and the other three boys took their stations behind convenient trees upon the slope of the hill commanding the entrance into the gully. Jim and Juarez were nearest to the foot of the hill, backed by Jo and Jeems. They did not have long to wait, though the twenty minutes seemed like several hours to Jo and Jeems, before there were signs of the approach of Gus Gols and his gang.

Very carefully they came up the gully, with the tall giant in the lead and Eph close at his heels; behind them came three of the Mexicans, but where was Edgar, and the other four? Perhaps the boss was afraid lest the flashing diamond that Ed always wore in his shirt bosom might give their presence away. But without joking, it was strange that these five were not with the main party. It was hardly likely that Big Gus would leave that number with the horses. Where were they? We shall find out in a few minutes.

"Don't you reckon those fellows have had time to make their move?"

whispered Gus to his henchman Eph. They had halted in the darkness of the gully, about two hundred and fifty yards from the foot of the hill.

"Ed's pretty quick," replied Eph. "He said that he wouldn't take more than a quarter of an hour."

"I'll give him five minutes' leeway," said Gus. "Then we will jump these fellows." In a short time he looked at his watch by the quick flare of a match that showed his red, evil face with the squinting blue eyes.

"All ready now, boys," he said in a low significant tone. "Give 'em the lead, but don't shoot the horses."

As ill luck would have it, Jeems Howell, who was highest up on the hill, caught the first glimpse of the outlaws as they advanced up the gully. How it occurred he never could explain, but his rifle went off before he could aim. Instantly the gang dropped behind the bank and opened fire upon the hill.

One volley had crashed out from Jim, Juarez and Jo, when Tom's agonized voice rang out:

"Quick, boys, they are coming up the other side!"

The Frontier Boys had been outgeneraled. There was no question about that, and they were in deadly peril. There was nothing for them to do but to retreat to the stockade before it was too late.

"Come, boys!" cried Jim, and away they dashed up the side of the hill with Gus Gols and his crew in close pursuit. The bullets swept with deadly zing near them as they ran. As they neared the stockade Ed and his men came into view from the opposite side of the hill. Jim and Juarez dropped behind a rock and fired at the foremost of the crowd and they took to cover. Then they two got into the fort and were safe for the present.

The first thing Juarez did was to climb into the branches of a big pine that had been left in the stockade. From this point of vantage he could see in which direction the enemy were. He did not have to wait long before he saw one of the crowd move cautiously from behind a tree and rush for a rock nearer the fort, but Juarez was ready for him, and fired. The man fell, and, then recovering his feet, rushed down the hill.

CHAPTER XXVII

THE RETREAT

This was the luckiest shot of the fight, for it was no other than Gus Gols himself whom Juarez had struck. There was a lull now, and the boys had time to breathe.

"Jo, you get up into that tree and keep watch," said Jim, "while the rest of us take account of stock."

"I guess those fellows have had enough to keep them quiet for a while," said Juarez. "It looked to me as though I had got their big chief with that shot."

"It's half the battle if you have done that," said Jim. "Wait till daylight comes and we will make them skedaddle."