't,
either," he added, brightening. "Mr. Wentworth told the colonel, in
Lieutenant Earle's hearing, that the Indians jumped down on his ranche
just after he had finished mending his oldest boy's boots. He put a
patch on each one of them just under the ball of the foot, and those
patches showed in the tracks."

"Ah!" exclaimed George, "that will pass for evidence."

"At any rate," continued the courier, "I was ordered to tell the captain
that we were on the trail of the party who had the children. That's all
the news I have, I believe.--What shall I tell the captain for you,
corporal?"

"Say to him that you found me following up my trail as fast as the
condition of my horses would permit," answered Bob. "It is as plain as
daylight, and if I could only get some water now and then, I could
follow it at a gallop.--What is it, Carey?"

"A smoke away off to the south-east," replied the soldier, who was lying
flat on the top of the nearest sandhill.

Bob at once dismounted and made his way up the hill, followed by George
and the courier. They did not expose their full height to view, but
crept up on their hands and knees, and when they reached the top pulled
off their caps before they looked over it. They knew that Indians, when
they are retreating, always leave some of their number to watch the
trail, and they adopted these precautions in order to avoid discovery by
these rear-guards should there chance to be any in the neighborhood. The
reflection of the sun's rays from the brass ornaments on their caps
would have been seen by a watchful Indian at an almost incredible
distance.

"I see the smoke," said Bob, pulling from his pocket the paper which
Captain Clinton had given him--"Where is your watch, George? Now look
for the signal."

The smoke, like the one Lieutenant Earle had sent up a few hours before,
ascended in a straight, slender column for a few seconds, and then
floated away out of sight. A few seconds later three little columns,
shaped like the clouds which are thrown out by the discharge of a
cannon, arose in the air in quick succession, followed after a little
delay by three others. Bob waited and watched, but as no more clouds
appeared, he knew that the signal had been made. The next thing was to
find out what it meant.

"George," said he, "after those first three smokes appeared how long was
it before the others were seen?"

"Just thirty seconds," replied the time-keeper.

Bob ran his eye over the