d the march, stopping for
rest only when Bob and George climbed some sandhill to reconnoitre the
ground before them. The deep silence that brooded over the Staked Plains
was almost oppressive. The bare feet of the troopers gave out no sound
as they sank into the yielding sand, and all that could be heard was
their labored breathing as they walked behind their leader, trusting
implicitly to his guidance. They never uttered a word, but Bob's
impatience and nervousness would have kept his tongue in constant motion
had it not been for George, who gave him an energetic prod in the ribs
whenever he showed a disposition to become colloquial. He felt that he
must do something pretty soon or sink under his burden of
responsibility, which seemed to grow heavier the longer he walked;
consequently, when George stopped all of a sudden and silently pointed
his finger at a dense wall of trees that ran across their path, his
delight knew no bounds. The ravine in which the Indians were encamped
was close in front of them. The murmuring of the waterfall which came up
from its wooded depths was a pleasant sound to his ears, but he and his
troopers had much to do before they could quench their thirst at that
rippling stream.

CHAPTER XIII.

HE WINS IT FAIRLY.

As it was not necessary to waste any precious time in giving verbal
orders, a complete code of signals having been decided upon before they
left their horses, George at once threw himself upon his hands and
knees, and worked his way along the edge of the bluff until he reached a
position directly above the camp, the location of which was pointed out
by a little blaze, scarcely larger, apparently, than the flame of a
candle. He looked in vain for the sentry, and would have given something
handsome if there had been some one at hand to tell him just where he
was.

"If he still holds his position on the top of that sandhill, we are all
right," said George to himself, "but if he has taken the alarm, we are
all wrong. In that case the Indians have done one of two things: they
have either made ready to ambush us, or else they have fled, taking
their prisoners with them. Well, we shall soon know, for here goes for
the fight that none of us may ever come out of alive."

As these thoughts passed through George's mind he seized Bob's
waist-belt and gave it two jerks, which meant "Follow me." Then he crept
back along the line, and as he passed each trooper he took him by the
arm