at he deemed necessary, the man of the plains
started to retreat.

He had taken but a few steps when he found himself cut off from his
horse.

Three additional cavalrymen were approaching from the thicket.

"Here's a horse tied up!" cried one. "Boys, whose animal is this?"

The call instantly attracted the attention of Vorlange and his
companions. They turned toward the speaker, and now there remained
nothing for Rasco to do but to run for it, and this he did at the top of
his speed.

As long as he could he kept out of sight behind the bushes. But soon
Tucker caught sight of him.

"Halt, or I'll fire!" came the command.

Tucker spoke first, and several others followed. As Rasco was now in
plain view, and as each of the enemy had a firearm of some sort aimed at
him, it would have been foolishness to have thus courted death, and the
man of the plains halted.

"It is Jack Rasco!" cried Vorlange. "Boys, this is Pawnee Brown's
right-hand man!"

"I know him!" growled Tucker. "Rasco, you're in a box now and don't you
forget it. You've been spying on us."

"Make him a prisoner," said another of the cavalrymen, an under
officer. "If he is a spy we'll have to take him back to the fort and
turn him over to the captain."

A minute later Jack Rasco found himself a close prisoner. It was
destined to be some time ere he again obtained his liberty. Thus were
his chances of helping Pawnee Brown cut off.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A CRY FROM THE DARKNESS.

Let us return to Pawnee Brown, who, totally unconscious of the fact that
Yellow Elk was creeping up behind him, stood beside the body of the dead
wildcat, re-loading the empty revolver.

One of the chambers of the firearm had been loaded, when something about
the pistol caused the great scout to examine it more closely. As he was
doing this Yellow Elk advanced to within three feet of him and raised
the tomahawk for the fatal blow.

At this terrible moment it must surely have been Providence which
interfered in the boomer's behalf, for, totally unconscious of his
peril, he would have done absolutely nothing to save himself. He bent
over the pistol more closely.

"That trigger seems to catch," he thought, and threw the weapon up and
fired it over his shoulder, just to test it.

The bullet did not pass within a yard of Yellow Elk, but the movement
came so unexpectedly that the Indian chief was taken completely off his
guard and dropped back as though actually shot.