"But," said the husband, "the prime object of the redskins is cattle, with perhaps horses thrown in. You know they have been hanging round for a number of days, waiting for a chance before we started north; they will make an effort to run off those stampeded cattle to-night, and likely enough will follow us into the Indian Nation, on the watch for a chance to gather in several hundred hoofs." "I think there's one thing that's encouraging," said Avon, addressing all his friends; "you know how dry the roof of the house is. If Dinah hadn't put her foot down when she did, there would have been no cabin at this moment. The Comanches tried to fire the sides, and failing in that, gave their attention to the roof, where they came so near succeeding." "What do you refer to as encouraging, Avon?" asked his uncle. "There's a storm in the air; we are going to have a regular driving rain, that will soak the roof until a ton of live-coals on the top wouldn't set fire to the planking." "Baby is right," said Ballyhoo, with a nod of his head; "rain will fall within twelve hours." "That _is_ good news," said the wife, with a pleased look; "I shall now see the captain and the rest of you leave without a misgiving as concerns ourselves." "You wouldn't feel frightened, Edna, if old Wygwind and his gang of imps should come whooping down upon you?" asked the captain, looking sideways, with an expression of admiration and love glowing from his shaggy face. "I don't pretend to say we would not be frightened, but Dinah and I would feel secure inside, so long as there was no danger of the building being burned. I wonder whether Wygwind led this party." "I shouldn't be surprised if he did; he's one of the worst scamps that ever lived." "You're right," assented Ballyhoo. "I believe he led this gang, though a chap couldn't tell in the darkness. You know what a thief he is." The allusion was to the notorious Comanche Wygwind, one of the many leaders belonging to that tribe. He was a powerful, wiry Indian, in middle life, who had long been detested by the ranchmen for his thievish and brutal propensities. He had stolen hundreds of cattle, not to mention horses, and though often pursued, and driven more than once into dangerous quarters, he had managed in some way to pull through to the present time. "If he should get inside," said the captain slyly, "and you should get the drop on him, wife, I advise that you don't let him walk out of the door unharmed." "That depends on circumstances," quietly replied his better half; "if he should appeal to me, and he had done no particular harm, I could hardly refuse him. However, I don't think if he does enter it will be through the scuttle." "The next time it will be best to turn him over to the mercies of Dinah."