Chapter 33

The attackers were in force and had obviously made a run through the village, as there were two burned lodges and a third toppled and collapsed. Once their surprise was spent, the Pipe Stem were expelled. The Yanubes’ horses, strongly guarded in a huge corral at the far end of the village, appeared safe, but the raider’s mounts were hidden somewhere.

Overcoming the temptation to rush, I crept from tree to tree until I found the enemy’s horses strung on picket lines in a small meadow guarded by three warriors. Working in as close as possible, I picked off the most distant of the three. One of them whirled toward his fallen companion, assuming the attack came from that direction. I winged him with the second long gun, but the third brave was not fooled. He got off a ball, which whipped past my cheek. My last rifle brought him down. A fourth man surprised me but squandered his shot before attacking with a hatchet. My rifle stock rendered him senseless.