With a smothered exclamation of surprise he drew back under the bushy boughs and crouched on his heels. He observed by the expiring light where the bullet had pierced his blanket and he had no regrets for the death he had dealt. He was chagrined, however, for not anticipating Red Hajason’s entrance into the grim game. It was to afford the outlaws a chance to strike, rather than to give Polcher a clear field, that the Cherokees were moving leisurely. Hajason immediately on arriving at Great Hiwassee must have learned from Chief Watts about the white man riding for the Coosa. And how many men had Hajason sent down the trail? Was he one of the trailers? “I only wish he’d been this chap,” muttered Sevier. “That peace law is bad medicine when it stopped me from shooting him on sight.” _Wa-huhu_ called a screech-owl. Another owl answered from the east and another from the west. “The Cherokees,” he murmured, securing his blanket and stealing from the cedars and making for his horse. “They heard the two shots and are puzzled to know how it came out.” _Wa-huhu_ came the call, now much nearer. And the notes were tinged with impatience, as if the dead man had promised to answer. Sevier threw back his head and sent the answer ringing through the forest aisles. He was now convinced his life would be in peril every mile of the way to the Creek country. Old Tassel had feared he might come to harm while in the Cherokee country and had sought to evade responsibility by sending the Jumper to guard him. What might happen to him after he crossed the southern boundary did not concern the old chief. But Polcher, Watts and Hajason were determined he should never reach Little Talassee. He summed the situation up by telling himself: “From now on I must push ahead as fast as possible. I can’t be watching for Polcher and at the same time dodge the gang behind me.” Yet one must sleep and a horse must rest even though two-score Cherokees were stealing like ghouls about the abandoned camp-fire and its dead man. So, shifting his blanket to a deep covert and trusting that his horse would not be found, he slept until sunrise. He sought his horse only after making a circle around the animal; for if other killers were in the vicinity and had stumbled upon the horse they would wait there in ambush, knowing the sun would bring their victim. But no one was in hiding near the horse; and he threw on the saddle and returned to the main trail without being molested. He rode at a furious gallop and had covered a mile before being reminded of the enemy. A rifle spat at him from the brush and he fancied he felt the wind of the bullet. His only notice of it was to throw himself flat over the saddle-horn and urge his mount to greater efforts.