The moon, full and clear, had arisen an hour before, and its light illumined the prairie for a great distance around. Far away, on every hand, we could discern the blue outline of the horizon, while the prairie seemed to roll up against it like the dark boundaries of a mighty ocean. Everything was as silent and motionless as though we were treading a region of death. Mile after mile, we trudged on, beguiling the time by conversation. The ground was dry and hard, and the vegetation scarce and stunted. The day had been quite warm, and there was a delicious coolness about the evening air that made it pleasant to walk an hour or so; but as more than double that time had expired since we commenced, it had long been exceedingly wearisome to us. “I wonder whether those fellows will go a foot out of the way to pick us up,” muttered Nat, half to himself. “I don’t believe they will. They told us they wouldn’t and they value their time too highly to waste it for a couple who are of no account to them, especially since we can fall in with other trains.” “I reckon they’re of some account to us, being they have got both our horses and considerable of our traveling apparatus.” “That is too true, Nat. In fact, since we have been walking here, I have persuaded myself that those fellows would, just as likely as not, turn something out of the way to get rid of us.” “Somehow or other, I’ve felt just the same for a week.” “Then, if we value our property, we mustn’t let them slip.” “No; I’ll be shot, if we must!” exclaimed Nat, half angrily, striking at once into a more rapid walk. “If they run off with my mare, I’ll--I’ll--” and again he strode faster over the prairie. Long--long, we journeyed in silence. Nat’s apprehensions had been aroused, and he was willing to walk the whole night to come up with those in whose honesty he had so little faith. Now and then he would mutter incoherently to himself and shoot ahead, keeping me almost on a run to maintain my place beside him. Suddenly he halted, and turned upon me with an expression I shall never forget. I could see his eyes expanded to twice their usual size, and his whole face aglow beneath his monstrous hat, as he asked in a cold whisper: “Wonder if there’s Injins about to-night.” I laughed outright. “Why, Nat, you ain’t afraid, are you?” “Who said I was afraid? I just asked a question.” “What possessed you to ask such a question?” “Don’t know; just come into my mind. Do you s’pose there are any Injins roving round the country to-night?” “I am sure I cannot tell, but I think it extremely probable. Are you fearful that there are some upon our trail?” “There might be! No; I was thinking if we should come across any of them, they might be able to tell us whether any of them chaps think we’re lost, and have run off with my mare.” “Should we meet a lot of those savages, no doubt they would tell us something else besides that.”