be, it ur
ivery minnit a gettin' higherer, I reck'n."

"Getting higher, you think?"

"Ye-es; or whet ur putty consid'able the same thing the t'other ur a
gettin' lower."

"The water, you mean?"

"The water ur a fallin'--gwine down by inches at a jump; an in an hour
from this, thur'll be bluffs afront o' the camp helf a yurd high--thet's
whet thur'll be."

"And you think I could get into the camp by creeping under them?"

"Sure o't. Whet's to hinner ye? it ur easy as fallin' off o' a log."

"But the horse--how could I bring him near?"

"Jest the same way as yurself. I tell yur the bed o' thet river ur deep
enuf to hide the biggest hoss in creeashun. 'Tur now full, for the
reezun thur's been a fresh in consykwince o' last night's rain: 'ee
needn't mind thet--the hoss kin wade or swim eyther, an the bank 'll
kiver 'im from the eyes of the Injuns. You kin leave 'im in the river."

"In the water?"

"In coorse--yur hoss'll stan thur; an ef he don't, you kin tie his nose
to the bank. Don't be skeeart, but 'ee kin take 'im as near as 'ee
please; but don't git too far to wind'ard, else them mustangs 'll smell
'im, and then it ur all up both wi' yurself an yur hoss. About two
hundred yurds ull be yur likeliest distence. Ef ye git the gurl clur,
ye kin easy run thet, I reck'n; put straight for the hoss; an whun yur
mounted, gallip like hell! Put straight up higher for the timmer, whur
we'll be cached; an then, durn 'em! ef the red-skins don't catch goss
out o' our rifles. Wagh! thet's the way to do the thing--_it_ ur."

Certainly, this plan appeared practicable enough. The sinking of the
water was a new element; it had escaped my observation, though Rube had
noted it. It was this that had delayed him so long in giving his
opinion; he had been watching it while leaning upon his rifle, though
none of the rest of us had thought of such a thing. He remembered the
heavy rain of the night before; he saw that it had caused a freshet in
the little river; that its subsidence had begun; and, as in most
prairie-streams, was progressing with rapidity. His keen eye had
detected a fall of several inches during the half-hour we had been upon
the ground. I could myself observe, now the thing was pointed out to
me, that the banks were _higher_ than before.

Certainly, the idea of approaching by the stream had assumed a more
feasible aspect. If the channel should prove deep enough, I might get
the horse sufficiently n