The young gentleman, who had been brave enough to fill the perilous office of scout among the Indians of the plains, did not possess the courage necessary to carry him through this ordeal.

He turned as pale as death, and stopped his horse.
"Go on," sternly commanded his keeper.
"Oh, it's dangerous," returned Arthur, in pitiful tones.

"What if my horse should slip off?
That gully must be a thousand feet deep!" "More than that," said Archie, who, although very far from being pleased at his own situation, could not resist the inclination to torment Arthur.

"It reaches clear through to India, where you used to hunt polar bears." "That's so," said Johnny; "for just now, as I looked over into the gorge, I saw a lot of half naked Hindoos tumbling about among the icebergs." "And I heard them yelling," chimed in Frank; "and saw one of those big white bears after them." "Go on!" repeated the Ranchero, impatiently.
"O, now, see here!" exclaimed Arthur, in a trembling voice, trying to turn his horse's head away from the pass, "I believe, I'll"-- He was about to say, that he believed he would not go any further, but that he would return home and leave Pierre and his band to take care of his three enemies; but his keeper did not give him time to finish the sentence.

Seeing that Arthur had no intention of following the rest of the party, the robber took his lasso from the pommel of his saddle, and with it struck his prisoner's horse a blow that caused the fiery animal to give one tremendous spring, which brought him to the very brink of the precipice.