were

All were carrying guns they had seized up, but they were half-clad or hardly clad at all.

They bawled questions that were not answered in the uproar.

Beyond the stockade rifles began to explode as some of the guerrillas fired at shadows that they imagined were Apaches.

Ducking inside, he found that three rifles were stacked in a corner.

Guerrillas were racing toward him.

The iron hinges held, but the planks were in danger of being torn from the crossbars.

He hovered over her to shield her, for spent bullets were thudding against the rear walls.

Guerrillas were only a dozen yards away, charging the house.

The wagons were burning fiercely.

But what few containers they found were inadequate.

Both buildings were in flames.

The wagons and the coach were beyond saving and so were the buildings.

Mr. Manuel whispered in the ears of the Sioux that the Cheyennes were comin' to raid 'em for their horses.

Hell, they were fightin' each other so hard they had no time for anyone else.

As I dug in behind one of the bales we were using as protection, I grudgingly found myself agreeing with Oso's logic, especially when I imagined what would have happened to Missy if Old Knife's large party of screeching warriors had overrun our company.

Buckets were filled, the herd fed and watered.

They were about a mile off ; ;

At first they were only feathers and dark indistinguishable faces and bodies, hunched over their horses' heads.

His face was split by a vermilion streak, his eyes were pools of white ; ;

The sharp cries at the end of the valley were faint.

The horses were only several lengths away when he fired.

A second leaped from his horse to the top of the bale, firing four arrows in such rapid succession it didn't seem possible they were in flight.

Other Indians were running at the ponies, shrilling and waving blankets.