Part 39 (2/2)

”See here, where are you taking me to?” he demanded.

”Camp,” grunted the young Indian.

”You're not. You are taking me away. I shall not go another step with you.”

Summoning all his courage the boy turned his pony about and started to move away. A quick, grunted order from the chief and one of the braves caught Pink-eye's bridle, jerking him back to his previous position.

”Take your hands off, please,” demanded Tad quietly. ”You've no right to do that. For some reason you have deceived me and taken me far from home. I'll----”

”No make chief angry,” urged the young brave.

”I tell you I'm going. You let me alone,” persisted the boy, making another effort to ride from them.

This time the chief whirled his own pony across Tad's path. From under his blanket, he permitted the boy to see the muzzle of a revolver that was protruding there.

”Ugh!” grunted the chief. ”Him say you must go. Him shoot! No hurt paleface boy.”

Tad hesitated. His inclination was to put spurs to Pink-eye and dash away. He did not fear the chief's revolver so much for himself. He did fear, however, that the chief might shoot his pony from under him, which would leave the boy in a worse predicament still.

”All right, I'll go with you. But I warn you the first white man I see, I'll tell him you are taking me away.”

”Ugh!”

”If he shoots, I don't see how he can help hurting me,” added the lad to himself, with a mirthless grin.

”Bymeby, boy go back with paleface friends.”

”That's what I expect to do. But if Luke Larue finds out you have taken me away against my will, he'll do some shooting before the big chief gets a chance to. Where are you taking me to?”

Shrugs of the shoulders was all the answer that Tad could get, so he decided to make the best of his position and escape at the first opportunity. Keeping his eyes on the alert he followed along without further protest.

Once, as they ascended a sudden rise of ground on the gallop, he discovered two hors.e.m.e.n on beyond them about half a mile as near as he was able to judge.

Evidently the Indians saw them at the same instant, for they changed their course and went off into the rougher lands to the left.

”Had they been nearer, I'd have taken a chance and yelled for help,”

thought the boy. ”I will do it the next time I get a chance even if they are a long way off. I can make somebody hear.”

But they gave him no chance to put his plan into practice. Not a human being did Tad see during the rest of the journey, nor even a sign of human habitation. Evidently they were traveling through a very rough, uninhabited part of the state. If this were the case, he reasoned that they must be working northward. This surmise was verified with the rising of the sun.

Chief w.i.l.l.y gave the lad a quick glance and grunted when he saw his captive looking up at the sun.

The chief then uttered a series of grunts, which the younger Indian interpreted as meaning that they would soon reach their destination.

Tad was somewhat relieved to hear this, for he ached all over from his many hours in the saddle. Then again he was sleepy and hungry as well. They offered him no more food, so he concluded that they had none. In any event he did not propose to ask for more, even if he were starving.

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