"A white bow, by gosh!" echoed Garey.

"A white bow!" shouted several others, eyeing the object with looks of
astonishment and alarm.

"That belonged to a big warrior, I'll sartify," said Garey.

"Ay," added another, "an' one that'll ride back for it as soon as--
holies! look yonder! he's coming by--!"

Our eyes rolled over the prairie together, eastward, as the speaker
pointed. An object was just visible low down on the horizon, like a
moving blazing star. It was not that. At a glance we all knew what it
was. It was a helmet, flashing under the sunbeam, as it rose and fell
to the measured gallop of a horse.

"To the willows, men! to the willows!" shouted Seguin. "Drop the bow!
Leave it where it was. To your horses! Lead them! Crouch! crouch!"

We all ran to our horses, and, seizing the bridles, half-led,
half-dragged them within the willow thicket. We leaped into our
saddles, so as to be ready for any emergency, and sat peering through
the leaves that screened us.

"Shall we fire as he comes up, captain?" asked one of the men.

"No."

"We kin take him nicely, just as he stoops for the bow."

"No; not for your lives!"

"What then, captain?"

"Let him take it, and go," was Seguin's reply.

"Why, captain? what's that for?"

"Fools! do you not see that the whole tribe would be back upon our trail
before midnight? Are you mad? Let him go. He may not notice our
tracks, as our horses are not shod. If so, let him go as he came, I
tell you."

"But how, captain, if he squints yonder-away?"

Garey, as he said this, pointed to the rocks at the foot of the
mountain.

"Sac-r-r-re! the Digger!" exclaimed Seguin, his countenance changing
expression.

The body lay on a conspicuous point, on its face, the crimson skull
turned upward and outward, so that it could hardly fail to attract the
eye of anyone coming in from the plain. Several coyotes had already
climbed up on the slab where it lay, and were smelling around it,
seemingly not caring to touch the hideous morsel.

"He's bound to see it, captain," added the hunter.

"If so, we must take him with the lance, the lasso, or alive. No gun
must be fired. They might still hear it, and would be on us before we
could get round the mountain. No! sling your guns! Let those who have
lances and lassoes get them in readiness."

"When would you have us make the dash, captain?"

"Leave that to me. Perhaps he may dismount for the bow; or, if not, he