At the word, and before the savages had gone twenty feet, the boys and John leveled their pieces, and a volley rang out. Several were seen to fall, but were only wounded, as they were at once taken in charge by their companions. The moment the first round was fired, the Professor ordered the relay guns to be grasped. But the savages, stunned by this change of affairs, did not wait for the second shot, but rushed back to the stream as fast as they could go, with the three wounded men.
But where were the other savages? Had they seen the result of the fight? The Professor hoped that the result would be such as to win them over. They lurked at a distance beyond the wagon, and as the Professor advanced toward them and held up a hand, they continued to retreat. He beckoned to them; but in spite of all efforts they refused to come near.
CHAPTER II
TWO SAVAGE ATTACKS
To all intents and purposes they had two foes, one in front and the other in the rear. They possessed a fine position, however, due to the Professor's foresight. The river was close enough to get the needed water for themselves and their yaks, and the thick clump of bushes, on the river side of the wagon, afforded protection for the animals, while the wagon itself served as an admirable fort.
They could not believe that the band which had been driven across, and which was now at their rear, would attack them, and it seemed that the present danger of a night attack might be expected from the pursuing party. Indeed, the actions of that tribe, after the attack, led the Professor to believe that they must expect a fight during the night.
The wagon was now brought up close alongside the clump, and with their bolos a considerable space of the densest part of the brush was cut away, so as to form a retreat for the yaks, and thus assure them from harm by any attacks with arrows or spears. Before dark, Harry and John went to the river several times to bring water for the cattle and for their own uses, and with the extra boards which the Professor had wisely brought along, the principal portion of the space below the wagon body was closed up.
When all had been arranged for defense all felt satisfied they could withstand a hundred savages armed with spears and arrows. One thing had to be considered, and that was, whether or not those people poisoned their arrows, as many races in southern islands do.
As a further precautionary measure, all protecting bushes within two hundred feet of the wagon were cleared away, so as to afford an open view in all directions.