the discovery that he was so near the party caused herbert’s heart to beat faster than usual. he felt the need of prudence and caution at every step, since he could not know whether rickard was aware of his pursuit. it might be that the fellow had discovered it and laid an ambush for him.
but, in accordance with his previous resolution, he pushed on, leading his pony by the bridle, until he had penetrated a number of rods among the hills, when he once more paused.
he was struck by the resemblance between the ridge and the one where he had spent the previous night. the curious exception, however, was that the trail that he was following was without any ascent. thus it was that, when he stopped, he found the rocks and trees rising on either hand, as if he was entering[169] a ca?on or deep ravine. the ground showed no grass, but was so gravelly under his feet, and so filled with stones and hollows, that he was sure a torrent or river, at some time or other, had forced its way over the bed.
that which checked him abruptly was his stepping into a pool of water, into which one foot sank to the knee. he hastily drew back, with a slight gasp caused by its coolness, and then, observing nothing distinctly in the gloom, struck a match.
the air was as still as in a vault, and it was unnecessary to shade the little blaze which he held in front and above his head.
the pool was so narrow that he could easily leap to the other side. it was clear, and jill showed his appreciation of the boon by thrusting his nose into it and drinking his fill. herbert himself was thirsty enough to lie down on his face and do the same.
he found that the ravine which he had entered had a varying width of a dozen to fifty feet, with precipitous sides, composed of such a mass of jagged and projecting rocks that it was easy to climb out of it from any point.[170] not a particle of grass was visible, though possibly it was to be found further on.
herbert’s conclusion was that the ravine cut through the hills, and had been used by rickard and his party to reach the other side. whether he was correct or not remained to be learned.
it struck him, however, as imprudent to take his pony further. the sound of his hoofs were quite certain to betray him to anyone on the watch, while the youth himself could steal forward without noise. the light of the burning match had revealed a gnarled root projecting from the side of the ravine. he carefully tied the bridle to this, for the place was so unique in its way that he was resolved to take no chances of jill going astray. he would lose nothing by the detention, because, as has been shown, food was unobtainable and his master did not expect to be long absent.
pausing a minute to make sure his pony was securely fastened, herbert pushed into the ravine, on the alert for the first sign of the criminals and their prisoner. it was an impressive situation, and, mindful of his slight[171] mishap, he moved with great care, occasionally burning a match when afraid of a misstep.
ten minutes after leaving his horse, he turned an abrupt bend in the ravine and was startled by observing the light of a camp fire. it was only a little way ahead, and directly in front, so that, had he continued his walk without variation, he must have stepped into the blaze itself.
the gorge, which was comparatively narrow up to this point, expanded into a width of fully a hundred yards, in the middle of which a large fire had been kindled, that lit up the surrounding gloom, and threw a faint illumination almost to the feet of herbert, who stood silently studying it.
that the site was well chosen was proven by the gleam of another pool of water, much larger than the former, while a patch of green grass extended from the fire beyond until lost in the darkness.
the first glance at the camp was with the conviction that he had overtaken the party he was after, but the second look raised strong[172] doubts in his mind, for he failed to observe that which until that moment he was confident of seeing.
the party that he had followed so far across the prairie, consisted of four horsemen, one of whom was nick ribsam, but only two were now in sight, and neither was the lad. nor were the pack horses visible.
the reader must not forget that herbert was asleep during bell rickard’s forced visit to camp the night before and a long distance had separated the two until now. it was impossible, therefore, for him to know whether either of the parties before him was that worthy or not.
the light of the fire was sufficiently strong to bring out in relief the two horses, grazing on the luxuriant patch of grass, but, as i have said, no other animals were in sight.
one man was sitting on a stone near the fire, smoking a pipe, while the other stood in front of him, whittling a stick in the indifferent fashion that a person shows when his thoughts are otherwise occupied. he faced the one sitting on the bowlder, and the murmur of[173] their voices was heard, as they talked, though no words were intelligible.
they were dressed in cowboy fashion, with their broad-brimmed hats, long hair, hickory shirts, and slouchy trousers tucked in their boot tops, not forgetting the belt around the waist for cartridges and pistols.
herbert judged they were white men, though it was easy to be mistaken, since they might have been of mixed blood without its being betrayed in the firelight. he fancied one was the notorious horse thief, belden rickard, and the other the equally well-known half-breed, jim-john; but this had to remain conjecture until someone confirmed or disproved it.
the bitter disappointment was his failure to see nick, who he was confident of overtaking at the first camp reached. the only theory by which he could explain matters was that the party had divided, and one of the men had pushed on with nick as his companion. if this were so, that one must have been rickard. possibly he feared pursuit, and was using the darkness to get further on with the pack horses, which could not travel as fast as the[174] others. this might be readily done, a rendezvous having been agreed upon beforehand.
herbert remained, viewing the fire, for a time, thinking it possible that nick and the other man might put in an appearance, but as the minutes passed, he was confirmed in the belief named.
he determined to continue the hunt until he learned the truth. the expansion of the ravine where the fire had been kindled was so great that he could readily pass it without detection, but it would hardly do to venture upon so uncertain a journey on foot, when there was urgent need of a horse.
his plan, therefore, was to return for his pony and try to flank the camp, by leading him past. if he were discovered and challenged, he would boldly advance and make his business known, demanding that he be told where he could find his missing friend.
he took a parting look at the couple in whom he was so interested. they held the same positions as before, one sitting on the stone smoking, and the other standing in[175] front, slowly whittling, while they discussed some matter in which neither seemed to feel a very deep interest.
nothing was to be gained by waiting, and herbert started back to get his horse. he had fixed the points so well in mind, that, when he supposed he was near the pool and ignited a match, he saw he was on the edge of it. he leaped lightly across, and, with the tiny flame still in his hand, walked to where his pony was tied a short time before.
jill was gone! since he could not have freed himself, someone had removed him.
while herbert stood silent and dismayed, he caught the sound of a footfall, accompanied by a chuckle of triumph.
