Part 34 (1/2)
He s.n.a.t.c.hed up the blanket from the ground, and wrapped it about her in such manner as to enable her to walk; stooped over Hughes, loosened the revolver from his stiffened fingers, and then came back to where she waited.
”You can walk? It is not far.”
”Yes, the numbness is all gone.”
He was all seriousness now, alert and watchful, the plainsman and the soldier.
”Then come; I'll break trail.”
”Where is the Indian village?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
”Beyond those bluffs; at least Hughes thought so. We saw their pony herd in the valley below, mere dots against the snow.”
Ten minutes later, ploughing through the intervening drifts, they came forth to the broad vista of the valley and the two patient ponies standing motionless.
CHAPTER x.x.xIII
MOLLY'S STORY
The two rode steadily, following the trail left by Hamlin and Hughes earlier in the morning. As there had been no wind, and the cold had crusted the snow, the tracks left by the two ponies were easily followed. As they skirted the ridge the Indian pony herd could be distinguished, sufficiently close by this time to leave no doubt as to what they were. Hamlin cautiously kept back out of sight in the breaks of the ridge, although his keen eyes, searching the upper valley, discovered no sign of pursuit. Tired as Dupont's horse undoubtedly was, he might not yet have attained the Indian encampment, which, in truth, might be much farther away than Hughes had supposed. The fact that no spirals of smoke were visible puzzled the Sergeant, for in that frosty air they should naturally be perceived for a considerable distance. Possibly, however, the bluffs were higher and more abrupt, farther up stream, affording better chances of concealment. Indeed it was quite probable that the Indians would seek the most sheltered spot available for their winter camp, irrespective of any possible fear of attack. Reasonably safe from a winter campaign, the atrocities of the past summer would naturally tend to make them unusually cautious and watchful.
Molly, m.u.f.fled to the eyes in her thick blanket, permitted her pony to follow the other without guidance, until they both dipped down into the hollow, safe from any possible observation. In some mysterious way the overpowering feeling of terror which had controlled her for days past had departed. The mere presence of Hamlin was an a.s.surance of safety.
As she watched him, erect in saddle, his blue overcoat tightly b.u.t.toned, his revolver belt strapped outside, she no longer felt any consciousness of the surrounding desolation, or the nearness of savage foes. Her heart beat fast and her cheeks flushed in memory of what had so swiftly occurred between them. Without thought, or struggle, she gave herself unreservedly to his guidance, serenely confident in his power to succeed. He was a man so strong, so resourceful, so fitted to the environment, that her trust in him was unquestioned. She needed to ask nothing; was content to follow in silence. Even as she realized the completeness of her surrender, the Sergeant, relaxing none of his watchfulness, checked his pony so that they could ride onward side by side.
”We will follow the trail back,” he explained, glancing aside at her face. ”It is easier to follow than to strike out for ourselves across the open.”
”Where does it lead?”
”To an old cow-camp on the Cimarron. There is a trooper there waiting.
Shall I tell you the story?”
”I wish you would.”
”And then I am to have yours in return--everything?”
”Yes,” she said, and their eyes met. ”There is nothing to conceal--from you.”
He told his tale simply, and in few words; how he had missed, and sought after her in Dodge; how that searching had led directly to the discovery of crime, and finally the revealment of Major McDonald's body. He told of his efforts at organizing a party to follow the fugitives, inspired by a belief that she was a prisoner, of the trip through the blizzard, and of how he had succeeded in outstripping Dupont in the race.
The girl listened silently, able from her own experience to fill in the details of that relentless pursuit, which could not be halted either by storm or bullets. The strength, the determination of the man, appealed to her with new force, and tears welled into her eyes.
”Why, you are crying!” he exclaimed in surprise.
”That is nothing,” her lips smiling, as she loosened one hand from the blanket and reached across to clasp his. ”You must know, dear, how happy I am to have found you. No one else could have done this.”
”Oh, yes, little girl,” soberly. ”Wa.s.son would have gone on, if I had been the one to go down. The hardest part of it all was waiting for the storm to cease, not knowing where you were hidden--that nearly drove me insane.”
”I understand; uncertainty is harder to bear than anything else. Shall I tell you now what happened to me?”