As he lay thus on the top of the hill, he saw on another hill, some distance away, a horseman appear. He swung the glasses around and pointed them at this horseman, while a cry of surprise broke from his lips. “Pawnee Bill!” And Pawnee Bill was supposed to be at that moment speeding on his way to Glendive! Deeming it safe to do so, Buffalo Bill stood up and waved his hat about his head. But the signal was not observed by Pawnee Bill, who was looking at Black John’s men. Buffalo Bill saw the horseman begin to descend from the hill, with the apparent intention of following the road agents. Therefore, he quickly climbed down himself, and returned in haste to Nomad with his astonishing news. The scout and Nomad rode out of the grove, and, following swiftly in the course taken by Pawnee Bill, soon overtook him. He was not at all surprised to see them. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “From the top of that high hill away over there I saw, with my glasses, that something had gone wrong; and so I back-tracked, and here I am. What’s the news?” They had enough to tell him, of a surprising character. “I guess it was Nomad’s fight and capture that I saw,” he said. “As you are both all right, perhaps I’d better go on again. I came back because I thought likely I was needed.” As, in pursuing the road agents now, toward the stage trail, the scouts were really going somewhat in the direction of Glendive, Pawnee Bill kept with them. Before the stage trail was reached they saw the bandits returning, still with their prisoners. Night was at hand. Black John had got rid of most of his men, having only six or eight with him now, among them Toby Sam. Little by little he was reducing his force, sending men here and there on various pretexts. In this manner, he thought to get rid of them all, by and by, and have the prisoners himself; when he meant to put the young man out of the way, and fly with the young woman and the emeralds. The fact that Black John’s force had been reduced caused a change of plan on the part of the scouts. It was decided that it was not necessary to send Pawnee Bill on to Glendive for assistance, but that the wisest course now was for the three pards to remain together, and, in the darkness, try to get at the prisoners and release them. Therefore, when they fell in behind Black John’s party, and began to follow this trail, they kept a sharp outlook ahead, expecting that soon he would go into camp for the night, when they would endeavor to put their plan of rescue into execution. But Black John did not go into camp. He pushed straight on in the gathering darkness. Before coming to the region where he might expect to encounter Buffalo Bill, he shifted his course to miss him and then hurried on again. Black John’s carelessness of pursuit enabled the scouts to keep pretty close to him, after darkness fell, and still not reveal themselves. Hour after hour Black John and his men held on their way.