the hunter was within a hundred yards or so of the clump of trees, when he suddenly checked his mustang, or rather the mustang checked himself, at the light of a camp fire, which all at once flashed out from among them.
"that's either dick or a lot of varmints," he muttered. "i think it's varmints, for i don't b'lieve he meant to wait there."
however, it was a question easily settled. he slid from his horse, and, rifle in hand, stole forward in the direction of the grove, moving as silently and stealthily as a shadow, while his beast stood as if he were an equestrian statue awaiting the placing of some metallic hero upon his back. a phantom itself could not have glided forward with less noise than did he, and yet he was fully twenty yards away from his destination, with his eyes fixed upon the point of light, when he was discovered by some horse that belonged to the stranger, or strangers, which gave out a loud neigh, as a signal to his friends of the approach of danger. at that moment, tom dropped flat upon his face, as he had done before at the approach of the apaches, and the luxuriant grass gathered about his form in such a way that he could not be seen by anyone at a moderate distance. but close upon the heels of the neigh came a low, tremulous whistle, scarcely uttered when tom replied in a precisely similar way, leaped to his feet and trotted toward the grove.
"that's dick!" he exclaimed to himself, the signals which they had used being the same that they had adopted years before, when approaching each other in a dangerous neighborhood.
the next minute the two met and shook hands. there were many points of resemblance and difference between the two comrades. each was in middle life, embrowned, hardened, and toughened by years of exposure and the wild life of the border; but tom hardynge was taller, more sinewy and active than dick morris, who was below the medium stature, with a stunted appearance; but he was a powerful man, wonderfully skillful in the use of the rifle, and the two friends together made the strongest possible kind of a team.
"ah! that's the talk," exclaimed tom, as he snuffed the odor of the cooking meat by the camp fire. "i'm hungry enough to chaw up my moccasins. what have you there—buffalo, mule or grizzly bar?"
"neither one," replied the other. "i fetched down an antelope a couple of hours ago, and as i was expectin' you, i cooked enough of it for both."
"you had to cook his hoofs and all to do that; but why don't you spread the dining table?"
little ceremony was indulged in at such a time. the toasting meat, brown, crisp and juicy, was served in two equal portions, each of immense size, and then, with no culinary articles but their keen hunting knives, and their incisors, almost as keen, they went at the business with the gusto of famishing wolves. meanwhile the two mustangs were feasting upon the rich grass which grew abundantly about them, and so all members of the party were enjoying themselves to the fullest extent.
the two hunters scarcely spoke while this piece of mastication was going on. they understood each other so well that there was no necessity of any hurry in the way of inquiry or conversation. when at last they had filled themselves to repletion, they drew their fingers through their bushy hair, using the latter by way of napkins, and then, after a good long draught from the brook running near at hand, lit their pipes and leaned back in the very acme of bliss.
"how soon shall we start?" asked tom.
"in a couple of hours," was the reply.
"think the apaches are through by this time?"
"no doubt of it."
if the hunters seemed to exhibit indifference in referring to the terrible occurrence, it was not because they felt thus; but the lives which they led had accustomed them to such frightful experiences.
"s'pose they've spared the younker?"
"guess they have."
the conclusion to which both came was that the apaches were incited to this attack more by the desire to get possession of the lad than by anything else, in view of the intense hatred with which colonel chadmund was viewed by the hostile indians of the southwest. he had been stationed over two years at fort havens, during which his administration had been marked by extreme vigor, and he had retaliated upon the apaches especially in the severest way for many outrages committed by them.
"yas, they've gone for that little younker," added dick morris, after the discussion had been continued for some time. "of course they haven't killed him; for that would have sp'iled their game. the colonel, finding what they'd done, would come down on 'em harder than ever, and you kin make up your mind they'd get the worst of the bargain before he was through with 'em; but as long as they hold the boy, you see, they've got the hands of the old fellow tied, for he thinks a heap of his boy, and he'll do anything to save him."
"and that's why he sends us arter him," said tom.
"he knows that if he let a lot of the men go, they might get all chawed up, and it wouldn't help the boy any, so he thinks we kin get him out of their hands by some hocus pocus or other."
"and what do you think, tom?" asked his companion, in a confidential voice. "is there much show for ever saving the skulp of little ned?"
his brother hunter looked into the fire for several minutes, with a very serious expression upon his countenance. he was thinking intently upon the situation, and trying to extract some comfort from the prospect.
"wal, dick, you know as well as me that it's mighty hard to tell in such a case. we've both got the best of hosses, that kin hold thar own agin anythin' the reds can scare up; but if they go to such pains to get the chap into thar hands, they'll take the same pains to keep him thar."
"exactly; but they won't be expectin' any such move as we're at so early in the day, don't you see? and there's where we gain the advantage by hurryin' on, afore they kin get off in the mountains with him."
there seemed to be reason in this conclusion, and both agreed upon it.
at the end of a couple of hours their horses had rested sufficiently, and they were mounted again. they had trusted to the mustangs to act as sentinels while they spent their time in eating and talking, and, no alarm having been given, they were satisfied that there was no one in the vicinity, and they rode off toward the northeast, without any concern of present danger threatening them. by this time the moon was in the sky; but a few clouds were occasionally scudding before his face, so that the prairie was not illuminated with as much clearness as upon the preceding night. the two hunters galloped along at a swinging gallop, a rate of speed which their mustangs were capable of continuing for hours and which it was the purpose of the riders to keep up until their destination was reached. now and then, through the stillness of the night, the cries of wild animals came to their ears, and once or twice these sounded very much like signals from parties of indians.
tom and dick never once relaxed their vigilance, but, as far as the gloom would permit, scanned the country about them in every direction. besides, they occasionally caught the glimmer of camp fires, but they were all at such a distance that they paid no attention to them, but continued on the even tenor of their way.
just as day was breaking, they found themselves fairly among the mountains. the wildest crags and peaks were all about them, and they were compelled to keep close to the pass they were following. this wound in and out among the fastnesses, not more than a hundred feet in width in some places, while in others it was fully a quarter of a mile broad. here they were in constant apprehension of meeting with their old enemies; but there was an air of solitude and desertion about them that was impressive in the extreme. they halted but a short time to let their animals "blow," while they themselves made an observation. still nothing new or alarming was discovered, and they hurried forward as before.
just as the sun reached meridian, the two hunters came upon that place known as devil's pass, which they were certain had witnessed a fearful tragedy during the previous twenty-four hours.
