have gone, and got their horses over these rocks, and got down to the
mouth of this gorge, it will be too dark for them to follow the tracks."

"I am with you, Dave," Joe said, as he discharged his rifle. "That is
one more wiped out. He was just going to fire to see whether we were
here still. That has answered the question; now let us be off. Go as
quiet as you can, lads, and don't make the slightest noise. Just creep
along until we are three or four hundred yards away. You may be sure
that they are listening."

For a quarter of a mile they moved very cautiously.

"Now I think we are safe," Dave said, breaking into a run.

At a steady trot they kept on down the gorge. Just as they reached its
mouth, they heard a faint yell in the distance.

"They have found we are off. They will be five minutes and more before
they have brought up their horses and got over the rocks, and they will
go pretty cautious, because they will be expecting to be ambushed. It is
getting pretty dark now; we shall be in among the trees before they are
out."




Chapter XVI.--On The Return.


The trees began fully half a mile above the point where Zeke had made