all this passed in much less time than has been necessary to describe it. not until fred munson saw that the apaches were repulsed did he reflect upon the startling fact that there was no one among all the settlers that was placed in as perilous a position as he.
the red-skins were between him and the houses, or fortifications, as they may be considered. he was alone, and although he had no gun in his possession, yet it cannot be supposed that his situation would have been any less dangerous on that account. in the excitement of interest, he had climbed to the highest attainable portion of the tree, where he not only had a good view of the thrilling contest going on under his very eyes, but where the contestants themselves, had they chosen to glance toward him, could have obtained an equally good view of him. whether or not they had done so remained to be seen.
“my stars! i hope they have n't seen me,” muttered the terrified lad, as he began retreating toward the trunk, with the intent of descending to the ground. “if they have, i'm a goner, that's certain.”
the apaches, although defeated, and driven beyond range of the settlers' rifles, did not withdraw altogether. reaching a point several hundred yards from the houses, they continued moving about on their horses, as though reconnoitering from that distance. the red-skins did not go together, as would have seemed natural under circumstances, but kept up that peculiar restless movement, as though it were impossible for them to settle down into anything like quiet. this action upon their part threw a number of the red horsemen among the woods, where fred was perched, so that he had every reason for being alarmed.
he was a skillful climber, however, and when he reached the trunk he moved down it, with the nimbleness of a monkey, taking care, however, not to be too rapid or sudden, as the movement might attract notice. then, too, he had the benefit of a denser vegetable growth, in which he thought it quite possible to conceal himself even from an indian passing beneath.
“if they have n't noticed me,” he reflected, as he crouched upon a limb, and looked and listened, “i've a good chance of keeping out of their sight altogether. it's a pity i had n't had enough sense to think of all this before.”
he continued creeping down the tree, until he was within twenty feet or so of the ground, when he paused, deeming it hardly safe to descend to the solid earth until matters looked a little less threatening. fred was in a bad predicament, and he was sorely puzzled to decide what was best to do. there could be no doubt that numbers of indians were in the wood around him, and if he descended to the ground he ran that much more danger of falling into their hands. he could not avoid a strong suspicion that he had been seen, and that his movements had been watched and understood for some time past.
“i should n't think those apaches would consider a boy like me of much account,” he muttered; “but if they have a chance to grab me, i s'pose they will. i'm sure i saw lone wolf at the head of the attacking party, and he'll want to pay me up for that big scare i gave him last night.”
the afternoon was well advanced, and he finally concluded to stay where he was, provided the red-skins permitted him to do so; so he crawled into the place, where he seemed the best protected by the surrounding vegetation and branches, and, crouching down, he awaited the coming of darkness with an anxiety which can scarcely be described.
it will be understood that he had come down so low in the tree that he could see nothing of his friends on the other side of the wood. he was so near the margin that his view on the right was comparatively unobstructed. occasionally he caught sight of a horseman in the distance, but the majority of the red-skins were in other directions. now and then the crack of a rifle broke the stillness, which was so perfect that he distinctly caught the sound of the hoofs of the mustangs, as they whirled and spun hither and thither.
when one is placed in such a position as was fred, his imagination is sure to be very active, and, time and again, he was sure that he heard the stealthy tread of a moccasin upon the leaves below. all this, however, was not imagination; for he had not been on his perch more than half an hour, when, peering downward through the leaves, he saw the unmistakable figure of an indian, gliding along in the stealthy manner peculiar to that race. the heart of the lad throbbed violently, and he grasped the limb more tightly, watching every movement of the red-skin.
“he must be looking for me,” was his thought. “he saw me in the tree, and he has now come to kill or take me away.”
he was sure that that particular apache was not lone wolf, although he could not be certain that any advantage was to be reaped from that. the chief was not likely to be more devoid of anything like mercy than was the greatest or humblest of his warriors.
the red-skin was on foot, and bore a rifle in his hand. instead of the fanciful scalp-lock ornamenting his crown, his black, wiry hair straggled down around his shoulders, over which was thrown a dirty army blanket, that had once belonged to the united states government. the hideous paint upon his face was easily seen from the perch of the lad, and the red-skin was as repulsive and dreaded an object as can be imagined.
the scamp was moving along with that stealthy, cat-like tread which is characteristic of all his race; but although directly under the tree when first seen by the lad, he did not look up nor act in any way which would suggest that he suspected the presence of anyone over him. he did not hesitate in his movement, and thus it was that he was scarcely seen when he disappeared in the wood beyond, and the boy was alone.
fred was now fully satisfied that it would not do to leave the tree so long as a particle of daylight remained. apaches were too plentiful in those parts.
“i s'pose they'll hang around till night, though i can't see what they're going to make by it,” said the boy to himself. “they've tried to clear out mr. barnwell and the rest of them, but could n't begin to do it, and now it won't do them any good to stay here. it'll be pretty risky for me to try and get into the house after dark, but they know i am out here and they will be looking for me. and then mickey—”
at the mention of the irishman's name, fred suddenly stopped with a start, for he was reminded of a fact which had escaped him until that moment. mickey o'rooney had gone out on a little scout of his own, some hours before, and he had not yet returned, so that his situation, in one sense, was like his own. but he manifestly had greater advantage, for he was not only fully armed, but was mounted on one of the fleetest mustangs of the west; so that, unless he ran into some trap, he need fear no disturbance from them.
“i only wish i was with him,” reflected fred, “mounted upon hurricane. i wouldn't mind a little run into some of these apaches that think they are such wonderful riders.”
as has been intimated in another place, young munson had been furnished with one of the finest of prairie steeds—one whose speed, endurance, and intelligence was extraordinary. there was naturally a great attachment between the two, and fred would have been off most of the time, skimming over the prairie, had he been allowed to do so, but hurricane was in the group in the centre of the settlement, with the others, which the indians had tried so hard to stampede, and he was as difficult to reach, under the circumstances, as were his friends themselves.
