herbert held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain. there were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief. their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to new mexico.

the horseman on the right was nick ribsam. although the distance was too great to distinguish his features, the presence of the pack horses settled the question and there was no mistaking his personality: it was he beyond all doubt.

“what can be the explanation of his presence with them?” was the question which the[151] alarmed herbert asked himself, as he lowered his glass and gazed absently in the direction, while he studied the most perplexing problem that had yet presented itself.

he was impressed by the fact that there were three horsemen besides his friend. that was the number that made up the band of bell rickard. what more likely than that the three with nick were the horse thieves?

in the hours that had passed since they were seen, far out on the plains to the eastward, they possessed sufficient time to make their way through the hills to this point. indeed, they could have done so after the sounds of firing ceased on the other side of the hills.

but this theory of necessity raised other perplexing questions. if those three men were the criminals, where were strubell and lattin? where had they been, while the piece of treachery was pushed to a conclusion? was it supposable that they had remained idle and permitted nick’s most dangerous enemy to get him in his power?

[152]

certainly not—provided it was in their power to prevent it.

the inference could not be escaped by herbert that the cowboys had been put out of the way by their enemies, and that, therefore, no further help was to be expected from them.

other questions presented themselves, which would have puzzled a more experienced frontiersman than the young new yorker.

he and nick had discovered a second camp fire the afternoon before, to the northward. who kindled that, and what was its significance? evidently it had some connection with the texans or the criminals, but nothing could be learned to indicate its nature.

were the continued absence and silence of the cowboys explainable on any other theory than their own overthrow?

these questions, however, were put out of sight by the personal peril of nick ribsam, and the anxiety of herbert to do something for him without delay.

his first inclination was to gallop back over the trail to the point where he left strubell[153] and lattin the afternoon before, and tell them what had taken place. they were the only ones of whom aid could reasonably be expected.

but it has been shown that he feared the worst concerning them. time was precious, and to cross the ridge and return would take a half hour, which might be fatal to any other step toward helping nick. this fear was intensified by the discovery that the walk of the ponies to the westward had become a gallop, which was fast widening the gap between them and the ridge, where the distressed herbert was trying to settle what he ought to do, if indeed he could do anything, for his loved friend.

“i will follow them,” was the conclusion which he reached after briefly thinking over every phase of the question; “i don’t know that it will do nick any good, but it’s just what he would do if our situations were changed.”

herbert was well aware that in making this important decision, the only possible hope—and it was slight indeed—of doing anything[154] for nick was by using the utmost discretion.

one might well ask what chance he could have against three veteran plainsmen, who were without principle or honor. had herbert himself been asked the question, he would have found it hard to answer. it may be said that something in the nature of a ransom suggested itself, though he was too wise to build much hope on that means.

the one thing clear in his mind was that he must hide his pursuit, if he could do so, from all knowledge of the abductors. if they possessed a field glass, as he believed was likely, they must have discerned him at the foot of the hills, provided the instrument was turned in that direction. hopeful, however, that they had not done so, he drew his pony behind a sheltering rock, and held his gaze fixed on the horsemen, who maintained their gallop, which was fast taking them out of his natural field of vision.

he waited until the fluttering specks were barely perceptible to the unassisted eye, and then decided to follow the trail a little way to[155] the southward, before wheeling to the west. he thought it less likely that he would be noticed, if he left the hills at a point removed from where he had been waiting so long, and where, had the criminals observed him, they would look for his reappearance.

he had ridden no more than a hundred yards, when, to his astonishment, he came upon the site of the strangers’ last encampment. it was directly beside the trail, where there was no water, but the smouldering camp fire and the cropped grass showed that several hours had been passed there. more important than all to the solitary pursuer was the finding of the remains of an antelope that had furnished the party with a meal. the youth had not eaten food since the preceding noon, and, highly wrought as were his feelings, he was faint and in need of nourishment. enough fragments were scattered about for him to obtain all he wanted in that line, so long as he was not over fastidious.

since he was hungry and there was no saying when he could secure another meal, herbert was wise in eating his fill. then, when[156] he swung himself into the saddle, he looked across the plain and failed to see the horsemen; but the glass, being brought into play, revealed them apparently in the very rim of the horizon.

“ah, they have changed their course!” he exclaimed; “that looks as if they had no instrument after all and think i am beyond their sight.”

it will be remembered that beyond the level stretch of country, another and loftier range of hills showed against the clear sky. the horsemen were moving toward them, and herbert believed it was with the purpose of misleading him or anyone that undertook to follow them. true, the trail left by them was so marked that, once taken, it could be maintained without trouble to the end; but, for reasons already shown, they were warranted in considering that improbable.

the pursuer, however, decided to take no chances that he could avoid. having started from the encampment of the preceding night, he was on their track from the beginning, and he meant to maintain it to the end.

[157]

everyone knows how deceptive distance is in the clear air of the plains. objects that appear but a few miles away prove to be two and three times as far. herbert watrous had been long enough in texas to learn this fact. the range that he had noticed the afternoon before seemed to be within half a day’s ride, but he was convinced it would require brisk traveling to reach it by sunset.

then, too, the plan he had fixed upon forced him to keep a long way to the rear, so that, if the horsemen struck the other range by set of sun, the night would be well along before he could come up with them. there was no moon to help him, and this might interfere with his programme.

but, as may be said, he had put his hand to the plough and did not look back.

contrary, however, to the maxim, this was an unfortunate mistake on his part; for, had he, after riding the major part of the distance, turned in his saddle and surveyed the course traversed, he would have made an important discovery, and one, too, that must have had an[158] important bearing on the almost hopeless enterprise in which he was engaged.

but herbert’s interest was all in front. nick ribsam was in the power of his enemies, and possibly he could aid him, though common sense told him that the chances were as ninety-nine to one that he would end the business by putting himself in the same hole. a party of desperate men that were cunning enough to make the sagacious nick prisoner were not likely to be annoyed by anything herbert watrous could do to checkmate them; but youth is ardent and hopeful, and none of these things weakened the pursuit of the new yorker.