THE PURSUIT.
MEN trained in the profession of the cowboys think and act quickly.
Within a half hour following their meeting with Herbert Watrous, the
party were travelling the other way, and shortly after emerged from the
hills, where the ground was perfectly level, and advantage could be
taken of the faint moonlight which would soon aid them.
As soon as they were fairly out in the open country, the Texans halted
and sat motionless for a moment. They were listening for sounds which
they heard not. Then Lattin slipped from the saddle and held his ear
for a full minute pressed flat against the earth.
“It’s all right,” he remarked, swinging himself over the back of his
pony. The three broke into a moderate gallop, riding almost abreast,
for there was abundant room for them to do so.
It was about a mile from where the last change of direction took place
that Strubell drew his horse down to a walk and edged in as close as he
could to the hills, his companions, of course, doing the same. It was
apparent that he was looking for the “new route” that had been spoken
of. Herbert did all he could to aid, but when an abrupt change was made
he saw no cause for it.
“That’s the reason why so few know about this,” explained the elder
Texan, after stating that they had struck the right spot; “if it was
plain enough to be seen miles off, Bell would have known all about it.”
“Ard and me found it out by accident,” added Lattin; “you observe how
you turn here, just as if you was passing behind a door, before you
hit the pass: that door hides it from the sight of anyone out on the
prairie.”
The peculiar conformation had been noticed by Herbert, who replied that
he could not have noticed it at noonday.
“The queerest thing,” added Lattin, “is that it’s just the same on the
other side; if it wasn’t, the pass would have been found from that
direction; me and Ard was chasin’ a couple of Kioways one day that had
stolen a horse, when they dodged in here and gave us the slip; that’s
the way we hit it.”
An expert engineer could not have constructed a finer cut through the
ridge—that is, for the present purpose. At no place was it more than a
hundred or less than fifty feet in width, and the ground was so level
that, had they chosen, their horses might have galloped the whole
distance. There was little doubt that the ridge had been broken apart
at this point by some terrific convulsion of nature, the opposite sides
corresponding so perfectly that they would have dovetailed, could they
have been pushed together.
This being the fact, a brief time only elapsed, when the three
horsemen, whose sole purpose now was to overtake the party that was
making off with Nick Ribsam, rode out upon the open plain beyond.
Here was another brief halt, while the younger Texan held his ear
against the earth, the other neither moving nor speaking. He remained
in his prone posture so long that it was evident he had detected
something. He must have caught a suspicious sound and was trying to
locate it.
“It’s right ahead,” he said, as he once more climbed into the saddle,
“and not fur off.”
Since the movements were now based on the discovery of the younger
cowboy, the elder dropped slightly back and joined Herbert as an
intimation that Lattin had become the leader.
The latter kept his pony on a walk, and the youth was close enough
to him to observe that he frequently turned his head in different
directions, showing that he was looking and listening with the utmost
care. All at once he drew rein and the others halted by his side.
“_Sh!_ you hear ‘em,” he whispered.
Herbert noticed the stamp of a horse, as he judged it to be, which
could not have been far in advance, though the night was so still that
a slight sound could be heard a long way. He was tempted to ask whether
it was not true that if they could discover others close by, the
strangers had the same chance of learning about them, but he was sure
his friends understood themselves too well to commit a blunder which
_he_ would detect.
Without another word between the men the younger let himself silently
to the ground and moved forward in the gloom. It seemed to the youth
that he showed rashness by this act, for, instead of crouching over
and stealing along, step by step, he remained erect and walked with
his ordinary gait, except perhaps he lifted and set down his feet more
lightly.
It need not be said, however, that Baker Lattin understood what he was
doing, and, when at the end of a few minutes he came back, he brought
the very news which Strubell expected and which confirmed the theory
formed by the cowboys.
The three pack horses belonging to the Americans were less than two
hundred yards distant. A couple were lying down while the third was
cropping the grass. No person was nearer than the owners, so that
it was proven that they had been left there by Bell Rickard and his
companion to be picked up by Jim-John and Brindage, who were to follow
them at a more leisurely pace.
The animals were not picketed, for they were not likely to wander
beyond easy reach during the few hours that must elapse before the
rear guard could come up with them. Their loads had been placed on the
ground and their bridles removed, so that they were free to wander
whither they chose.
The tidings were pleasing to our friends, who were thus given the means
of procuring what they were sure to need before reaching the end of
their journey. Strubell brought forth the blankets, extra suits for
stormy weather, and a goodly number of articles that insured comfort
for a good while to come.
It seemed odd that after recovering their animals and property the
Texans should coolly turn them over to the thieves, but the reader will
see that it was the only thing to be done. Rickard and Slidham had
abandoned them for the sake of speed, and for their pursuers to take
them up would be to handicap themselves in the same fatal fashion.
The fugitives, as they may be called, had got what they wanted from
the pack horses, and, when Strubell and Lattin did the same, the loads
were much lightened.
It was, therefore, without the slightest hesitation that, after
procuring their supplies, our friends resumed their advance, leaving
the couple among the hills to explain by what means the Texans had
flanked them.
Strubell had hopes of overtaking Rickard and Slidham before daylight,
his belief being that they would go into camp after riding a number of
miles. They had been in the saddle so continuously during the last few
days, it would seem they ought to need rest as much as their animals,
but as the darkness wore on without sight or sound of them, he and
Lattin agreed that the scamps were pushing their horses to the utmost.
The pursuers were also pressing their animals hard, and to a higher
degree than they would have done under other circumstances, but the
Texans showed an eagerness to reach the other party that caused Herbert
alarm. He was certain there must be a cause for this haste which they
refused to explain to him.
At long intervals one of the men resorted to the usual test of
placing his ear to the ground with the hope of catching the sounds of
footsteps. Once he stated that he heard something of the kind, and
for a half hour they believed they were coming up with the company in
front. It proved, however, that some kind of animals were moving across
the country that were not likely to be those they were seeking.
To settle the question the pursuit was forced, and they overtook a
couple of mavericks or stray cattle. One of them was turned to account,
for Strubell shot it, and the party went into camp.
It was high time they did so, for their ponies were worn out and they
themselves were tired and sleepy. Enough fuel was found to start a
fire, over which a good meal was prepared, sufficient being cooked and
laid aside to allow them to keep up the pursuit for a couple of days
without stopping for food.
The fear of Herbert Watrous was that a mistake had been made by his
friends who had wandered from the trail, but when daylight dawned, and
the Texans made an investigation, they found they were right. Rickard
and Slidham were following the very course named by them—that is, in
the direction of New Mexico.
“It looks as if it’s going to be a long chase,” said Strubell; “but
unless something unexpected happens we shall win.”