"Listen,"  Zach abruptly said, reining up.
   Lou had been so deep in thought, she hadn't heard the faint pop of rifles and pistols.  "The settlers!  They're under attack!"
   Together they broke into a gallop, speeding parallel with the trees, the manes and tails of their horses flying.  Zach's bay was capable of outdistancing Lou's mare but he was unwilling to leave her behind.
   The crack-crack-crack of the guns grew steadily louder.
   When they were near enough to hear strident war whoops, Zack veered to the left, into the undergrowth, and slowed to a cautious walk.  Another hundred yards brought them within sight of the conflict.
   "Land sakes!"  Lou declared.
   Forty or fifty warriors were taking part in the raid.  Some were armed with bows, some with lances, some with war clubs.  Only a few had rifles.   In constant motion, yipping like frenzied coyotes, they swooped down on the Conestogas....

   On a hill adjacent to the stream they found a game trail.  Abundant tracks confirmed deer and elk used it regularly, so Nate let the youth into nearby brush.  He didn't think they would have long to wait.
   Minutes dragged by.  Rabbit Tail sat as motionless as a statue, his ash bow in his left hand, an arrow knocked to the sinew string.
   The shadows lengthened.  In a little while it would be too dark to shoot reliably.  Nate was debating whether to give up the still hunt and rove through the undergrowth when without warning a four-legged apparition materialized on the trail a mere ten yards from their hiding place.  He heard Rabbit Tail's sudden intake of breath, and so did the animal.
   It was a mountain lion, a large, sleek tawny male, steely muscles rippling as it glided down the trail with its small head lower than its body and its long tail twitching like a serpent.  At Rabbit Tail's gasp, the big cat froze, its tail out straight, its nostrils twitching as it tested the air for scent.  Suddenly its tail jerked up and the cougar executed a tremendous leap....