"'Pears likely to me," said Long Jim, who was listening. "It's easy enough for them to set thar out uv range an' hold us in here, but they forget one mighty important thing." "What's that, Jim?" "Shif'less Sol. He's in the bush, an' he kin stalk 'em when he pleases. They don't know that the warrior killed at the door last night fell afore his bullet, an' he kin bring down one uv 'em any time he feels like it. Thar's a panther in the bushes right by the side uv 'em an' they don't know it. An' it's a panther that will bite 'em, too, an' git away ev'ry time. Hark to that, will you?" They heard the distant sound of a rifle shot and saw one of the Indians around the campfire sink over in the grass. The others uttered a terrific yell of rage, and a half-dozen darted away in the bushes. "I ain't no prophet, nor the son uv a prophet," said Long Jim, "but I'll bet my scalp that in an hour or two they'll come back without Shif'less Sol." "I won't take your bet," said Paul. "Six warriors started away in pursuit, and now we'll see how many return." "The first will be back in an hour," said Long Jim, "'cause Sol won't leave no trail a-tall, a-tall. He made shore uv that afore shootin'." "I believe you are a prophet, Jim," said Paul. "Let's watch together." Within the appointed hour two warriors returned, bringing with them nothing that they had not taken away, and sat down in the opening, their attitude that of dejection. "They never struck no sign of no trail, nowhere, nohow," said Long Jim, exultantly. "Too many negatives, Jim," said Paul, reprovingly. "Too many what?" exclaimed Long Jim, staring. "I never heard of them things afore!" "It's all right anyhow. There comes another warrior, and he too bears no bright blonde scalp, such as adorns the head of our faithful and esteemed comrade, Solomon Hyde." "That's three 'counted fur, an' three to come. I know, Paul, that Sol will git away, that they can't foller him nohow, but I'd like fur them three to come back empty handed right now. It would be awful to lose good old Sol. Uv course he's always wrong when he argys with me, but I'm still hopin' some day to teach him somethin', an' I don't want to lose him." Paul saw deep anxiety on the face of Long Jim. These two were always in controversy, but they were bound together by all the ties of the border, and the loss of either would be a crushing blow to the other. Long minutes dragged by and became an hour, and the face of Jim Hart expressed apprehension. "It's time fur at least one more to come back," he said. "Well, there he is," said Paul. "Don't you see him stepping out of those bushes on the east?" "Has he anything at his belt?" asked Long Jim eagerly. "Nothing that he doesn't usually carry. He has no yellow scalp, nor any scalp of any kind. Empty he went away and empty he has returned." "So fur, so good. Two more are left out, an' it'll now be time fur them to come trampin' back." "Be patient, Jim, be patient."