But the blow had given him a terrific headache; he said he felt as if the top of his head was caving in; and now and then, as he tried to hurry about, and ordered others to hurry, he staggered, as if the liquor had already taken effect in his legs and had made them wabbly. However, he ordered up his horse; and then followed the pursuers, whom he had sent on ahead, and who were trailing the girl with the dogs. Panther Pete disliked to use the dogs, for their baying could be heard a long distance, and, if so heard, might guide to the place persons whom he would rather not see there. He knew that his position was at the time peculiarly perilous. Friends of the girl could be expected to make an immediate search for her; and, besides, Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill, he felt sure, were now in that section, with designs against him. For this reason, after the dogs had gone on a while, and then had begun to bay louder, he called them off, lest the baying should reach farther than he wished. He wanted to recapture the girl, but he desired his own security even more. This withdrawal of the dogs, though not understood by the girl, came as a blessed relief to her, just at a time when she was on the point of despair. They had gained the top of the ridge, and were hot on her trail, with their loud bellowing puncturing the night air in a way to carry terror to her very soul. Then suddenly their deep booming ceased, and was no more heard. She fancied they had lost the trail, and had turned in a wrong direction; and, with a prayer of thankfulness, she hastened on again, her feet now torn and bleeding and her strength fast giving way. Panther Pete led that night pursuit of the girl as well as he could; and he cursed her and himself with fiery anger, calling himself a fool for being so kind to her and so careless, and calling her by epithets she would have blushed to hear. When daylight came this pursuit was still being carried on, but it had lost its first force, and was conducted by the men as an almost aimless search of the country close about the entrance to the hidden valley. After the sun rose Panther Pete took it up again himself, giving earnest orders to his men, and instructions as to how to use the dogs. Then he set forth alone, looking for the trail in what he thought the most likely places, following along the narrow path that led directly away from the valley entrance. This took him by and by across the trail which led from the outer plains toward the “trap” where his sharpshooters were at the moment in hiding and to which his “stool pigeons” were at the time conducting the men whom they had fallen in with--Buffalo Bill and his pard, and young Denton and Silas Deland. The scouts with their prisoner were coming along that trail, guided by Garland. They were wide awake and wary. Garland had undertaken as difficult a thing as he had ever attempted, in trying to lead these experienced plainsmen into that trap.