send for the talking leaves in the morning. Send Warning will
read them to him. He did not look so old to-night. He was a very
handsome man when he was young. So long ago!"

Ni-ha-be had been right about her father's appetite, for it was only a
few minutes before he came stalking toward the camp-fire for some
venison-steak, and Dolores had been wise enough to have it on the
coals, so as not to keep him waiting.

He never dreamed of telling her, nor she of asking him, anything about
the events of the night or the plans of the warriors, but all the while
that steak was broiling she was thinking of Send Warning rather than of
Many Bears, and wondering if there would be another fight with the
Lipans before sunrise. That was the very question asked of Murray by
the chief in command of their squad half an hour or so later.

"What do I think? Well, I think the Lipans are not fools."

"What mean by that?"

"Fools stay and get killed. Cunning men ride hard and get away."

The Apaches rode a little faster after that, and were joined by so many
other small parties of warriors that they were quite a respectable
force by the time they reached the neighborhood of the camp. It was
nearly sunrise then, and the braves who had been watching the camp
faithfully reported all that had occurred. They told of the sudden
whooping nearly two hours earlier, and Murray at once remarked, "Apache
chief knows what that means?"

"He is not very wise. Send Warning tell him."

"It meant that their great chief and the three braves with him had come
back to them. Send warrior up toward pass. If I am wrong, the Lipans
are there now; if I am right, they are gone."

The warrior scout was sent in a twinkling, for Indian sagacity
understood the keenness of Murray's guess, and it was not long before
the news came back that not a sign of an enemy could be discovered
among the rocks.

It was a disappointment. The daring invaders had escaped, for there
would be no use in following them. The whole Apache nation could
hardly have forced the narrow places of that pass against so strong a
party of good rifle-men. Neither was there any certainty but what the
pale-face miners might be in there somewhere, ready to deal destruction
on any Apache who should be so unwise as to ride into such a rocky trap.

The sun arose while they were talking about it, and the Apache braves
were already searching the camp for anything which might have been left.