Blanco shouted for the braves to pursue, and on the instant four of the youngest and most active leaped forward, like blood-hounds freed from the leash.
With yells that frightened the dog and made him crouch behind Ike, the Apaches started up the ravine.
Sam was about to follow them, but the chief caught him by the shoulder and said sternly:
"You do heap harm. Stay!"
Meanwhile, Ulna had gained the upland, with his face turned toward the sun, now flashing over the crests of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
The cruel cords had cut into his wrists and ankles, and the strained position in which he had been held so many hours had stiffened his limbs; but, absorbed in the battle for his own life, he forgot or did not feel his pain.
On gaining the upland, he halted for an instant to pull his cap lower and to tighten his belt; then, as he heard the blood-curdling yells behind him, he started off again, running this time straight for the mountains to the east.
He looked back for an instant, to see the four Apaches rising into view from the rift.
He had about two hundred yards the lead, and he very wisely made up his mind not to increase it.
As a tribe, the Utes have ever prided themselves on the speed and endurance of their runners.