“Yes, if they make their way to the mouth of the gulch. They may be content with seeing that there is a herd of strange animals here, and then ride away.”
“Some folk might,” said Griggs quietly, “but not Indians.”
“Then what do you think will be best?”
“Drive the animals up to the other end of the place, and then take possession of a couple of the rooms here in the face of the rocks, stop up the shaft, and keep the enemy at bay with our rifles.”
The doctor frowned.
“It may be a false alarm,” he said.
“Yes, may be,” said Griggs; “but I don’t believe it is, sir. Don’t you go and think that I want to fight. Nothing of the kind, but I’m afraid we shall have to. Why, we could keep all that lot at bay for any length of time.”
“But it would be desperate work.”
“Yes, sir, they’d make us desperate; but it would be their own doing. We could bring up our provisions into the chamber nearest the water, and command it with our rifles so that they couldn’t get to it. They’ve only got to leave us alone and there’d be no desperate work.”
“But they may be friendly Indians.”