The Cave in the Mountain / A Sequel to In the Pecos Country

ing E

Table of

s in hand seemed to have cleared away the treacherous ground surrounding the opening, so that it was not likely to give way beneath their weight, even when they advanced c

the sense of touch also on the alert. His blanket and rifle lay at one side, out of the way, but where they could be reached at a single leap, if necessary. The

ernaturally acute, and they are as distant as the timid antelope of the plains. But, for all that, there was a boy

rey. With his right hand resting upon the hilt of his revolver, he never removed his

oot, or pus

OOT OR PUSH

y came from, and thus completely clear the path before him. But there were doubts in the way. The revolver might miss fire, in which case all hope would be gone. In a hand-to-hand tussle the Apach

d shooting him in the back. It had a cowardly look, even when certain that the threaten

ver, if he don't m

s occupied with something of a different nature, or if there were some extraneous noise, the case would be different. The blowing of the wind, the murmur of a waterfall (such as Fred had heard w

his appearance was impressed upon the vision of the boy! He could never forget it. The redskin, a

with a half dozen kinds of paint, while his black, thin hair straggled about his shoulders and was smeared in the same fashion. Like most of the Indians of the Southwest, he wore no scalp-lock, but allowed his hair to hang like a woman's, not even permitting it to be gathe

vage with a burning intensity, until it seemed that he would burn him through and t

ng of my heart," was the

reading upon a thin growth of grass, interspersed plentifully with gravel, but he never once looked to see what h

Two more steps were taken, and only eight feet separated the lad and the Indian, and still the latter remained all unconscious of what was going on. Fred's heart wa

but he raised his foot for another step, feeling that the dis

ay. But not behind him. The glance was a mere casual one. He had heard nothin

ped forward and resumed his former position on the edge of the opening,

and he partially drew his revolver from the girdle he wore about his body, with the expectation of using it. But when hi

and one bound was all that he needed to make. Finally, and for the last time during the advance, the right foot ascended from the ground, was poised for

front, and then darted his vision from left to right, wh

ck the Indian squarely in the back with the whole momentum of the body. In fact, the daring boy nearly overdid the matter. He not only came near driving the Apache to the other side of the opening, but he came equally

ian struggling upon the opposite side, with a good prospect of saving himself. "That won't do," was his t

st against his painted fo

et go, or I

he command were so expressive that he could not fail to take in the whole meaning. The Indian, no doubt, considered it pre

, by a strange providence, had so suddenly become his master. But the Indian, although a pretty good athlete, had not practiced

d from the presence of his enemy, he darted back to the other side of the opening

at when I ain't thinking," he said, wh

the situation. Where there had been six daring Apache warriors a half-hour before, not one was now visible. All were in the cave. Five had gone willingly, while it looked very much as if t