they now were to us. Forward we dared not stir--not a step
farther.

I was puzzled and perplexed. Once more I turned my eyes upon the sky,
but I drew not thence a ray of hope; the heavens were too bright; the
sun had gone down in the west; but in the east was rising, full, round,
and red, almost his counterpart. How I should have welcomed an eclipse!
I thought of Omnipotent power; I thought of the command of the
Israelitish captain. I should have joyed to see the shadow of the
opaque earth pass over that shining orb; and rob it of its borrowed
light, if only for a single hour!

Eclipse or cloud there was none--no prospect of one or other--no hope
either from the earth or the sky.

Verily, then, must I abandon my design, and adopt some other for the
rescue of my betrothed? What other?

I could think of none: there was no other that might be termed a plan.
We might gallop forward, and openly attack the camp? Sheer desperation
alone could impel us to such a course, and the result would be ruin to
all--to her among the rest. We could not hope to rescue _her_--nine to
a hundred--for we saw and could now count our dusky foemen. They would
see us afar off; would be prepared to receive us--prepared to hurl their
masses upon us--to destroy us altogether. Sheer desperation!

What other plan?--what--

Something of one occurred to me at that moment: a slight shadow of it
had crossed my mind before. It seemed practicable, though fearfully
perilous; but what of peril? It was not the time, nor was I in the
mood, to regard danger. Anything short of the prospect of certain death
had no terror for me then; and even this I should have preferred to
failure.

We had along with us the horse of the captive Comanche. Stanfield had
brought the animal, having left his own in exchange. I thought of
mounting the Indian horse, and riding him into the camp. In this
consisted the whole of the scheme that now presented itself.

Surely the idea was a good one--a slight alteration of my original plan.
I had already undertaken to play the _role_ of an Indian warrior, while
within the camp; it would only require me to begin the personation
outside the lines, and make my _entree_ along with my _debut_. There
would be more dramatic appropriateness, with a proportionate increase of
danger.

But I did not jest thus; I had no thought of merriment at the time. The
travesty I had undertaken was no burlesque.

The worst feature of th