de," replied George. "But, Bob, the prisoners have not been
rescued yet, and I warn you that unless you are as sly as a fox you will
be the means of their death. If the Indians discover you, and find
themselves unable to escape, their very first act will be to kill those
boys."

"Good gracious!" exclaimed Bob, dropping his reins upon the horn of his
saddle and pulling off his cap with one hand while he scratched his head
vigorously with the other. "_Good_ gracious! The captain never thought
of that when he sent me off with this squad, did he? George, the
responsibility is too heavy for me. I think I'll ask the captain where
he is, and then go and report to him."

"That wouldn't be a very smart trick," protested George. "You would not
only be taken to task for wasting valuable time, but the Indians, seeing
a smoke that they couldn't understand arise on their trail, would take
the alarm at once, and you would lose a fine chance of distinguishing
yourself."

"Don't you suppose they saw the smoke that Lieutenant Earle sent up?"

"Of course they did--the captain's too. Those same smokes were a good
thing for us, for I am of the opinion that they threw our party off
their guard by leading them to believe they are not pursued. You mustn't
send up a smoke along this trail if you want to catch those Indians.
What are your orders, anyhow?"

"To follow the trail until I am recalled or until the Indians throw me
off entirely," replied Bob.

"Then don't you see that you would be disobeying orders by marching your
squad back to the column without a recall?" asked George. "You would
surely get yourself into trouble by doing that, and besides, you would
be hauled over the coals for not taking better care of your men and
horses. They couldn't stand twenty miles more to-night without a rest,
and how much of a rest could they get here in this oven, with no grass
or water? Don't do it, Bob."

"But the prisoners--just think of the prisoners!" exclaimed the
perplexed corporal. "I don't want to feel that I am responsible for any
harm that may befall them."

"I don't see how you are going to shirk it."

"Well, will you take command?"

"Certainly not," answered George quickly. "Don't confess your incapacity
by surrendering your authority. Besides, a scout never commands--he only
advises; and I will help you in that way all I can. Go on, and say that
you will do your best."

"I will," said Bob, slamming his cap upon his head and se