After replacing his right hand in its former position on the wheel, watching Jack closely for a moment, and listening intently to our steady, hard breathing, he quietly reached over with the knife in his free hand and cut the string that held his left wrist to the wheel; then replacing both hands on the wheel again for a moment as if tied, he looked earnestly at Jack and then turned an ear toward our tent door. Assured by our snoring that we were all asleep, he reached down and cut the cords that held his ankles, after which he gave another earnest look at Jack, took a step out from the wheel, and no doubt intended to steal quietly out to his horse and mount him; but as soon as he started from the wagon the dog gave an angry growl and sprang the length of his chain toward the escaping jayhawker. Knowing that his flight would now be discovered, Tucker quickly darted around the wagon, to get out of the range of Jack's shotgun, with Found lunging on his chain and barking furiously. Jack sprang to his feet, calling to the fugitive, "Halt! halt!" as he rushed around the wagon, followed by Tom and me, only to see the form of the jayhawker disappearing rapidly in the darkness. Still calling out "Halt! halt!" Jack let off one barrel after another of his shotgun, but high over the head of the retreating ruffian, merely to accelerate his speed. Tucker made no attempt to get his horse and was probably only too glad to get away with a sound carcass. After chasing him out on the prairie a little way, calling excitedly to one another to mount and follow the fugitive and try to head him off at some point toward the jayhawkers' camp--all to impress Tucker, in case he heard us, of the earnestness of our pursuit and our anxiety to recapture him--we returned to our tent to chuckle over the success of Tom's strategy. "'Tain't likely," observed Tom, "that he'll fool away time hanging around here to try to get his horse. He's scared bad, for sure, an' no doubt b'lieves every word of that yarn I got off about the company of cavalry; but, to be on the safe side, Jack, you'd best bring the black horse up here an' tie him to the wagon wheel that his former master jest vacated, an' then turn Found loose, an' I'll guarantee no prowler'll come nigh our camp without our gettin' due notice of it."