And I did; for in less time than it takes to tell it, that young Indian’s heels flew up and his head came in violent contact with the ground.
Having disposed of Jim, I raised my horn to my lips, and, after repeating the signals of distress, was about to take to my heels again, when Barney and his dog came up, both fierce for a fight.
I did not wait for them to begin, but took the initiative myself by lifting my heavy boot and hitting Barney’s four-footed friend a kick under the chin that fairly lifted him from the ground.
It was plain that he had got all he wanted, for he ran yelping into the bushes, and Barney and I were left to finish the battle alone.
The leader of the Dragoons paused for a moment when he witnessed the discomfiture of his ally, and then came on more fiercely than ever.
“Oh, ain’t I goin’ to give it to you now?” he shouted, and I knew by the way the words came out that he was almost beside himself with fury. “A fellow who hits my dog, hits me.”
About this time I became aware that there was a great uproar in the camp. I heard a crashing in the bushes, which was followed, first by Indian yells, hoarse shouts of triumph and the baying of hounds; then by a rapid shuffling of feet and the sound of fierce blows, all of which, told me that there was a desperate battle going on.
This continued for a moment, and then—you can imagine how the cold chills crept over me when I heard it—the report of a gun, fired twice in quick succession, rang through the swamp, accompanied by something that sounded very much like the voice of a human being in distress.
What was it? Had any of our fellows been shot by the attacking party, or had they, in their desire to prevent the rescue of Luke Redman and to save the eight thousand dollars, so far forgot their prudence as to fire upon the Swamp Dragoons?
As this thought passed through my mind, I turned my eyes for one instant toward the camp, and to my amazement and alarm, discovered that the Swamp Dragoons were not alone. I saw a mass of struggling men and boys swaying to and fro in front of the camp, and conspicuous among them were Pete and his half-breed companions.