ransformed his
buffalo-hunters into "warriors." All that was needed was to give them
a chance to paint themselves in sufficiently hideous manner for the
"war-path," and deal out to them a double allowance of cartridges for
their rifles.

When that was done they made a formidable-looking array, and the last
chance of the Lipans or any other enemies for "surprising" them was
gone.

Then they rode slowly on after their women and children, and the braves
came back from the pass to report to Many Bears that Send Warning,
Knotted Cord, and their three prisoners had gone no one could guess
whither.

CHAPTER XIII

For a moment Murray and Steve stood looking after the retreating forms of
Red Wolf and his sisters.

"I say," exclaimed Bill, "you're a pretty pair of white men! Do you mean
to turn us three over to them Apaches?"

"Who are you, anyway? Tell me a straight story, and I'll make up my
mind."

"Well, there's no use tryin' to cover our tracks, I s'pose. We belong to
the outfit that set up thar own marks on your ledge thar, last night. It
wasn't any more our blame than any of the rest."

Murray nodded to Steve, as much as to say, "Keep still. We're learning
something. Let him talk." But he replied to Bill,

"There's too many of your crowd for us to tackle. Where are the rest of
you?"

"All coming down this way. We was sent ahead to scout."

"So you thought you'd make your outfit safe by picking a quarrel with the
Apaches."

"Now, stranger, you've got me thar. 'Twas a fool thing to do."

"Well, I'll tell you what we'll do. You three stand up and swear you
bear no malice or ill-will to me and my mate, and you and your crowd'll
do us no harm, and I'll let you go."

"How about the mine?"

"Never mind about the mine. If your Captain and the rest are as big
fools as you three, there won't any of you come back to meddle with the
mine. The Apaches'll look out for that. There'll be worse than they are
behind you, too."

He was speaking of the Lipans, but Bill's face grew longer as he
listened, and so did the faces of his two friends.

"You know about that, do ye?"

"I know enough to warn you."

"Well, all I kin say is, we've got that dust, bars, nuggets, and all, and
we fit hard for it, and we're gwine to keep it."

"What can you do with it here?"

"Here? We're gwine to Mexico. It'll take a good while to spend a pile
like that. It took the Chinese a year and a half to stack it up