imself. He knew that Ned when he awoke
would be indignant because Obed let him sleep, but the man felt quite
able to stand such reproaches.

Obed, staunch as he was, felt the weirdness and appalling loneliness of
time and place. A wolf howled far out on the plain, and the answering
howl of a wolf came back from another point. He shivered a little, but
he continued his steady tread around and around the circle.

Dawn shot up, gilding the bare brown plain with silver splendor for a
little while. Obed awoke Ned, and laughed at the boy's protests.

"You feel stronger and fresher, Ned," he said, "and nothing has been
lost."

"What of you?"

"I? Oh, I'll get my chance later. All things come to him who works while
he waits. Meanwhile, I think we'd better take a drink out of our water
bottles, eat a quick breakfast and be off before we have visitors."

Once more in the saddle, they rode on over a plain unchanged in
character, still the same swells and dips, still the same lonesome
yuccas and mesquite, with the occasional clumps of bunch grass.

"Don't you think we have shaken them off?" asked Ned.

"No," replied Obed. "They would scatter toward dawn and the one who
picked up the trail would call the others with a whoop or a rifle shot."

"Well, they've been called," said Ned, who was looking back. "See,
there, on the highest ridge."

A faint, dark blur had appeared on a crest three or four miles behind
them, one that would have been wholly invisible had not the air been so
clear and translucent. It was impossible at the distance to distinguish
shapes or detach anything from the general mass, but they knew very well
that it was the Lipans. Each felt a little chill at this pursuit so
tenacious and so menacing.

"I wish that we had some sort of a place like that in which we faced the
Mexicans, where we could put our backs to the wall and fight!" exclaimed
Ned.

"I know how you feel," said Obed, "because I feel the same way myself,
but there isn't any such place, Ned, and this plain doesn't ever give
any sign of producing one, so we'll just ride on. We'll trust to time
and chance. Something may happen in our favor."

They strengthened their hearts, whistled to their horses and rode
ahead. As on the day before the interminable pursuit went on hour after
hour. It was another hot day, and their water bottles were almost
emptied. The horses had had nothing to drink since the day before and
the two fugitives began to fee