REUNITED.
"How was it that you came to leave me for so long a time?" inquired Ned,
after he had welcomed his two friends with boyish enthusiasm and
congratulated himself upon his timely deliverance.
"Wal," replied Tom, as the three took up a comfortable position before
the fire, "we started you off on that hunt on purpose to give you a
little taste of buffaler huntin', calc'latin' to foller on after ye in
the course of an hour or two. Afore we could do so, a war-party of a
hundred redskins got right atween us--didn't you see 'em?"
"No such party as that."
"In course they shut us out altogether. The worst of it was, we
exchanged a few shots back and forth with 'em, and they give us a brush;
so by the time we had dodged out of their way, we was a long ways off
from you. We couldn't do nothin' till mornin', and by that time the
buffaloes and Injuns had trampled out your trail, so that there was
nothin' to be seen of it, and we had to go it on general principles. We
had 'bout made up our mind that some of the varmints had gobbled you,
when we put eyes on this fire, and there ain't any use of tellin' any
more."
The lad now in compliance with their request, related his entire
experience since their separation. Old and veteran hunters as they were,
and chary of praise as was their custom, they did not hesitate to
compliment him highly upon the courage he had displayed in the most
trying emergencies in which he was placed. His experience had, indeed,
been a most remarkable one, and Providence had protected him in a
wonderful manner.
Everything being understood, and the past cleared up, it now became them
to look to the future. There were only two horses to three persons, and
as there were no means of obtaining one, it became necessary to divide
the lad between the two hunters--an arrangement which was easily made.
But, although it might seem that the greatest danger of the company had
passed, the truth was, however, that the greatest was still before them,
and both Dick and Tom knew it. They were pursuing a journey in an almost
due south-westerly direction--precisely the course necessary to take in
order to reach home, as they had come to look upon Fort Havens. But
directly in their path was a broad level patch of country, interspersed,
here and there, with rocks and vegetation, over which both the Comanches
and Apaches were so constantly roaming that it would be impossible for a
white man to cross it without being discovered by some of the
war-parties.
When Dick and Tom were coming from the other direction, they were seen,
and escaped only by the superior fleetness of their horses. But the
trouble was that while they were not expected and not watched for then,
now they were. The redskins were cunning enough to know that if two
hunters rode at full speed through their country in the direction of
Santa Fe, they would be very likely to return again in the course of a
few days, and, as Dick said, the reds "would be ready for 'em."
Consequently, it became not a question of fleetness; for, if it were,
the hunters could afford to have very little apprehension over the
result; but Tom Hardynge was well convinced that the Apaches, to the
number of a hundred or more, were distributed at different points, and
on the lookout for them. Indeed, he had already seen such evidence of
the fact that it could not be doubted. He did not consider it necessary
to tell their young friend all this, for he would learn it in due time.
Such being the case it would have been a waste of time for the three to
remain where they were, while they had the sheltering darkness to screen
them in their flight; but the two mustangs had done a good deal of
traveling, and it was wise to give them the rest while it could be
gained. Here were water and grass, of which the animals were taking the
advantage. It was wise to husband their strength and endurance until the
following day.
The hunters extinguished one camp fire entirely, and toned the other
down so that there was no possibility of its attracting the notice of
any one unless he passed very near at hand. Fortunately for Ned, they
had some very good and substantial lunch with them, with which his
hunger was fully satisfied. There still remained a little stock on hand,
which was reserved more for him than themselves. They were accustomed to
such privations and could stand it very well, but the lad was of too
tender years not to suffer keenly.
The night was so far gone that no one attempted to obtain any sleep. The
hunters went out and examined the dead grizzly, learning his dimensions
by the sense of feeling alone. Tom picked up the tomahawk, and, wiping
off the blade upon the grass, shoved it down in his belt, with the
remark that it might come handy again before they reached Fort Havens.
The two then made an observation for the purpose of learning whether any
of the Indians were in the neighborhood. Nothing important was
discovered, however, and in due time the night ended and the morning
came again.
The sun was scarcely up when they were under way. Ned at first was
placed upon the back of the mustang ridden by Dick Morris, and side by
side, the two fleet-limbed creatures left the ridge and took the
shortest route to Fort Havens. The gait was an easy, swinging one, which
the horses were capable of keeping up from rise of morn until set of
sun. The day was warm and sunshiny, but the air was so clear and pure
that the oppressiveness was much less than would have been the case in a
more northern latitude.
Beyond the ridge, the country remained open, as the prairie was inclined
to be rolling than otherwise, but with a surface which permitted the
utmost swiftness of which an animal was capable. Occasionally patches of
wood and rocky elevations were discernible, but these were given a wide
berth in all cases, as they were the very places where the treacherous
enemies would have wished them to come. A herd of buffaloes, probably
the same seen a short time before, was discerned far to the south, but
they were passed by while still a long distance away.