Part 21 (2/2)

”It is Jack Rasco!” cried Vorlange ”Boys, this is pawnee Brown's right-hand rowled Tucker ”Rasco, you're in a box now and don't you forget it You've been spying on us”

”Make him a prisoner,” said another of the cavalrymen, an under officer ”If he is a spy we'll have to take him back to the fort and turn him over to the captain”

A minute later Jack Rasco found himself a close prisoner It was destined to be soain obtained his liberty Thus were his chances of helping pawnee Brown cut off

CHAPTER XVIII

A CRY FROM THE DARKNESS

Let us return to pawnee Broho, totally unconscious of the fact that Yellow Elk was creeping up behind hi the empty revolver

One of the cha about the pistol caused the great scout to exa this Yellow Elk advanced to within three feet of him and raised the tomahawk for the fatal blow

At this terrible moment it must surely have been Providence which interfered in the boomer's behalf, for, totally unconscious of his peril, he would have done absolutely nothing to save hier seeht, and threw the weapon up and fired it over his shoulder, just to test it

The bullet did not pass within a yard of Yellow Elk, but the movement came so unexpectedly that the Indian chief was taken coh actually shot His cry of astonisher than did the pistol report, and pawnee Broung around to confront him

”Yellow Elk!” came from his lips, hizz! the toh the air directly for his head

He dropped like lightning, and the keen blade sank deeply into the tree behind hirunted the Indian when he sa he had missed his mark Then he leveled the pistol in his left hand at pawnee Brown's head

The great scout felt his position was still a trying one His own shooter, though still in hand, was empty He pointed it and started to back away to the tree behind him

”Stop, or I kill!” co, the scout took a flying leap to a safe shelter Seeing this, Yellow Elk also lost no ti behind cover

With the pistol loaded once more the boomer felt safer He listened intently for some movement upon the part of his ene a waiting game and Yellow Elk was no exception to this rule

”Well, if you can wait, so can I,” thought pawnee Brown and settled doith eyes and ears on the alert He thought of Nellie Winthrop and of Rasco, and wondered what had beco it was iet back to the boomers' camp, but there was no help for it, and he remained where he was

Fifteenthat of the water in the brook as it flowed down over a series of rocks Then ca over upon his left He turned around and blazed away in that direction

A fierce but suppressed excla that Yellow Elk had been hit How serious the Indian chief was injured there was no telling It ht have been fatal and Yellow Elk ht be only a ruse Again pawnee Brown paused to listen

Thus another quarter of an hour asted Itto the topht co than to stand up in line of battle, for the ene, but very faint, showing that the sound came from a distance There followed a faint splash, so

”I reckon I hit hio slow--it may be only a trick,” and away he crawled as silently as a snail along the brook's bank

Inside of the next half hour he had covered a territory of many yards on both sides of the brook In one spot he had seen several drops of blood and the finger marks of a bloody hand Yellow Elk, however, had coone, and so is the trail,” reat scout at last He spoke the truth Further following of the Indian chief was just then out of the question