s," he said to his men. "We must go right across every
stream we come to. The more water we can put behind us the better."

The Lipans also advanced with caution at first, keenly watching the
distrusted miners until they were hidden from them by the rolls of the
prairie and the increasing darkness.

"Cap," said Bill, as they rode along, "why can't we turn now and win
back the camp?"

"Yes, we could do it. And win another fight and lose some more men.
Perhaps all of us. I'm not in any hurry for that."

The line on which the Captain was leading them slanted away more and
more toward the south, but not so much as yet that it need have aroused
the suspicions of To-la-go-to-de's keen-eyed spies who were keeping
track of them.

They reached a good-sized brook, and the moment they were over it the
Captain shouted,

"That gets bigger, or it runs into something before it's gone far.
That's our chance, boys."

Nothing could be surer, for all the brooks in the world do that very
thing.

Besides, that brook was running in the direction in which the miners
wanted to go, and they now pushed forward more rapidly.

"If I knew where the Apache village was," said the Captain, "I'd go
near enough to see if we could pick up some ponies. But we won't waste
any time looking for it."

The men had plenty of comments to make, but not one of them was willing
to set up his own judgment against that of the ragged little Captain.
They would never have seen that village if it had not been for the
river itself.

The brook was a true guide. In due time it led the miners to the place
where it poured its little contribution into the larger stream, and
that looked wider and gloomier by night than by day.

"No ford right here, boys. The water runs too still and quiet. We
must follow it down."

"Why not follow it up, Captain?"

"Swamps. Can't you see?"

"Wall, no, I can't."

"I can, then. It's half a sort of lake. The river comes out of it.
Lower down it'll run faster, and we'll find some shallow place."

"May run against Apaches."

"Got to take our chances."

There was no help for it, but every pair of eyes among them was as busy
as the dim light would let it be, while they rode along the bank.

If they could but find a ford!

They thought they found one once, and a tall horseman wheeled his horse
down the bank and into the placid water.

"Careful, now. Feel your way a foot at a time," shouted Skinner.

"'Tain't