l.

All he knew was that chance must to a great extent direct his steps, and
so he galloped on with the rain left behind and a soft sweet breeze
playing upon his face, the oppression of the storm seeming to pass away,
while it was plain enough that the thunder and lightning were
momentarily growing more distant, as if he were riding right out of it
towards where the air and sky were clearer. Before long, he felt sure,
the stars would be out, and he could see his way, instead of galloping
on in this reckless chance manner, leaving everything to his horse.

"I can't quite understand it," said Bart; "there must have been some
mistake. Of course, I see now. I was riding straight along under the
mountain-side when Black Boy swerved almost right round and went off in
another direction: that and the darkness threw them off the track, but
they will be sure to strike my trail in the morning. Black Boy's
hoof-prints will be plain enough in the soft earth where the rain has
not washed them away, and they'll come on after me like a pack of hungry
wolves. How I wish I knew whether I was going right! It would be so
valuable now to get right away before morning."

Bart was getting well ahead, but not in the best direction. He had,
however, no occasion to fear present pursuit, for the knot of dismounted
Indians whom he had seen close under the rock when the lightning fell
lay crushed and mangled amongst a pile of shattered rocks which the
electric discharge had sent thundering down, while as Bart was cantering
on, full of surmises, where not a drop of rain was falling, the storm
seemed to have chosen the mountain as its gathering point, around which
the lightning was playing, the thunder crashing, and the water streaming
down, so that in places regular cascades swept over the sides of the
rock, and tore away like little rivers over the plain.

For the time being, then, Bart had nothing to fear from these
unfortunate Apaches; but, as the storm lulled, and another little body
of dismounted Indians crept cautiously up to the fallen rocks, their
object being to surprise the guards at the gateway, they learned from
one of their dying friends of the appearance of the young chief upon his
little black horse, and that he had gone right off over the plain.

The sequel to this was that the dead and dying soon were borne away, and
a party was formed at daybreak to take steps that would have made Bart
had he known, feel terribly uncomfo