Next day Creech proceeded with care and caution. Many times he left the direct route, bidding Lucy wait for him, and he would ride to the rims of canyons or the tops of ridges of cedar forests, and from these vantage-points he would survey the country. Lucy gathered after a while that he was apprehensive of what might be encountered, and particularly so of what might be feared in pursuit. Lucy thought this strange, because it was out of the question for any one to be so soon on Creech's trail. These peculiar actions of Creech were more noticeable on the third day, and Lucy grew apprehensive herself. She could not divine why. But when Creech halted on a high crest that gave a sweeping vision of the broken table-land they had traversed Lucy made out for herself faint moving specks miles behind. "I reckon you see thet," said Creech "Horses," replied Lucy. He nodded his head gloomily, and seemed pondering a serious question. "Is some one trailing us?" asked Lucy, and she could not keep the tremor out of her voice. "Wal, I should smile! Fer two days--an' it sure beats me. They've never had a sight of us. But they keep comin'." "They! Who?" she asked, swiftly. "I hate to tell you, but I reckon I ought. Thet's Cordts an' two of his gang." "Oh--don't tell me so!" cried Lucy, suddenly terrified. Mention of Cordts had not always had power to frighten her, but this time she had a return of that shaking fear which had overcome her in the grove the night she was captured. "Cordts all right," replied Creech. "I knowed thet before I seen him. Fer two mornin's back I seen his hoss grazin in thet wide canyon. But I thought I'd slipped by. Some one seen us. Or they seen our trail. Anyway, he's after us. What beats me is how he sticks to thet trail. Cordts never was no tracker. An' since Dick Sears is dead there ain't a tracker in Cordts's outfit. An' I always could hide my tracks.... Beats me!" "Creech, I've been leaving a trail," confessed Lucy. "What!" Then she told him how she had been dropping cedar berries and bits of cedar leaves along the bare and stony course they had traversed. "Wal, I'm--" Creech stifled an oath. Then he laughed, but gruffly. "You air a cute one. But I reckon you didn't promise not to do thet.... An' now if Cordts gits you there'll be only yourself to blame." "Oh!" cried Lucy, frantically looking back. The moving specks were plainly in sight. "How can he know he's trailing me?" "Thet I can't say. Mebbe he doesn't know. His hosses air fresh, though, an' if I can't shake him he'll find out soon enough who he's trailin'." "Go on! We must shake him. I'll never do THAT again! ... For God's sake, Creech, don't let him get me!" And Creech led down off the high open land into canyons again.