"Something sure has happened to him and I for one am going to look for him," returned Frank. The bandits were gathered on a broad, shelving rock looking down into the canyon, where they had remained when Dew Drop left them after conveying them to safety after the explosion in the cave. Acting upon her advice they had remained there until she should have gone to the village to learn if Jesse had been taken prisoner or killed, perhaps, by the savages. She had promised them a speedy return, but hours had elapsed since her departure and the men were getting restive. Little had been said by them, they being too full of the thoughts of the lively incidents that had happened since they first set foot in the mountains of Southern Colorado. "Better not try it till the moon comes up," advised Wild Bill who knew the treacherous nature of the country where they were. "I calkerlate you'd break yer danged neck tryin' to git out of here in the dark without a guide. When it gits lighter we'd better all vamoose. We'll find Jesse if we can, and if not we'll mosey over to tother side of the gulch and make camp in a place I know of. From there we kin scout for him. The gal said we was to stay here--" "Sure, she did," added Texas. "I reckon she knew what she was doing. We'd better bide here a bit I reckon." Under their urging, Frank gave a reluctant consent, for he knew that Jesse would expect him--would expect every one of them to come to him at once, had they reason to believe he was in trouble. So they waited. One hour, two hours, and three passed, and the men had finally decided to make an investigation, provided they could discover the trail that led up the mountain side. They had only a general idea of where the Indian village lay, but reasoned that they could easily locate it by the camp fires that surely would be burning. They decided that it would be safest to start in single file, the leader holding to the hand of the next to him, and so on, making a human chain, the last man to at all times make sure that he had firm hold of a tree or rock. "Hark," warned Frank after they had decided upon the direction in which they would make their first attempt. "What is it?" asked Tony. "I didn't hear anything," returned Texas. "Keep still," commanded the elder of the James boys, listening intently. "I am sure I heard a yell." "Mebby 'twas a cat," suggested Bill. "There's a lot of them in these hills, and they're a danged tough proposition to run into when a fellow's afoot." "There it is again," cried Frank in a suppressed voice. They all heard the cry this time and it seemed to be drawing near them. "Indians agin," breathed Tony. "By the great jumpin' cats," exclaimed Texas. "What do you suppose they're up to?" "They are chasing somebody," declared Wild Bill confidently, knowing the ways of the savages thereabouts as he did. "The question is, who or what is it." "Dew Drop, mebby," suggested Harry.