"He was tickling him with his heels. That
makes Uncle Ike half crazy! There goes another yell! Fine old bird,
is Uncle Ike!"
It was plain to the boys that the battle was quite a distance to the
south and leading down into the valley, so they began the ascent of
the rocky slope and continued up until they were all out of breath.
Then they stopped and looked back.
The outlaws came into sight, in a minute, making for their cave. They
fired an occasional shot as they retreated, and this fact convinced
the boys that Frank had not been wounded by any of the shots which
had been fired at him.
"We'll quicken their steps a trifle!" Ned said. "You boys go on up to
the next shelf and I'll fire from here. They may charge us, and if
they do I can cover your retreat. Besides, you will have a longer
start."
"I'm going to stay right here and shoot, too!" Jimmie declared.
"Those men have several bumps coming from me!"
"Ain't he the great little gunman?" snickered Teddy.
"But I need you up there with the others to protect my retreat,"
urged Ned, so Jimmie unwillingly toiled up the acclivity. They came
to a shelf perhaps three hundred feet beyond Ned's stand and crouched
down.
Ned's fire, when it came, had the effect of sending the outlaws on a
run toward their cave, so the boy joined the others without facing a
return fire.
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