"Now, Kate, as the captain has my horse, I'm going to borrow his
awhile," said Pike. "I want to ride down the range a little way and see
if I can't help him home with the mules. You are perfectly safe here.
Just as safe, at least, as you would be if I were with you. I wouldn't
go and leave you if it were not absolutely necessary, as I believe it to
be. You'll take care of her, won't you, Ned, my boy?"

The little fellow looked up bravely. "Nellie and I aren't afraid," he
said. "Only we do want papa to come and get something to eat. Jim told
me not to let the fire go out and I put on a little dry wood now and
then."

But Kate sat with her apron to her eyes, rocking to and fro in
speechless misery and dread, Nellie striving vainly to comfort her. All
unconscious of the coming peril, the little ones were fearless and
almost content. They had no sympathy for their old nurse's terror. Pike
stopped and spoke once again to Kate before riding away, but in ten
minutes, mounted on a fresh and spirited horse, with his rifle athwart
the pommel and the field glasses in their case swinging by their strap
from his shoulder, he cantered boldly up the Pass and was soon well out
upon the open plain. His idea was to ride straight out to the west along
the road, five or six miles and more if necessary, scour the country
southward with the glasses in search of Captain Gwynne, and if he saw
nothing of him to get near enough to the advancing Apaches to see about
how large a party they were, then to whirl about, put spurs to his
horse, ride like the wind for camp, get Kate, the children, Jim and the
blankets and provisions up to the cave and be all ready for the Tontos
when they came. "Gregg" was curveting and prancing even now, eager for a
gallop, but Pike's practised hand kept him down to a moderate gait and
in this way he rode steadily westward towards a distant rise in the
midst of the undulating plateau, and there he felt confident he could
see all that there was to be seen. It was just ten o'clock when he
reined in at the top of a gentle ascent and unslung his glasses. First
he looked towards Jarvis Pass to see how far away were the enemy and how
many in number. Despite the windings of the road and occasional stunted
trees or bushes, the first glance through the binocular placed them at
once. Yes, there they were in plain view--certainly not more than four
miles away. Not only could he count the breech-clouts and turbans now,
but the