So Bob took fresh heart, and continued to keep his eyes glued on the point of fire, which he knew marked the spot where the vidette sat.
Then, suddenly he missed the spark! It had vanished without the slightest warning. Bob felt his chum move, and thought Frank gave a little
gasp as of satisfaction. Yes, and unless his own ears had deceived him, he caught some sort of rustling sound up yonder where the vidette had his post.
Evidently Scotty had acted. From the fact that there was no outcry, Bob judged that the movement had been a success.
Still no one among the crouching cowboys moved hand or foot. They were waiting for a signal of some sort inviting them onward and upward. When Scotty and his companion felt sure that they had the sentry so bound and gagged that he could not give any alarm, they would doubtless let their allies know.
The light did not reappear, though Bob strained his eyes in the effort to discover it. From this fact he knew that something had indeed happened.
“Has he got him, do you think, Frank?” he could not keep from asking, cautiously.
“Not any doubt about it,” came the confident reply. “I heard him drop; and he would have whooped it up only Scotty’s fingers closed on his throat, and cut the yell off. Just give ’em a minute more to fix him up right, then we’ll get the sign.”
“Well, I’m glad that part of the job is over, and no alarm given,” thought Bob, his nerves relaxing somewhat after the recent strain.
And while he lay there waiting, ready to make a fresh start when the time came, he heard what he thought was a little bird uttering a lazy twitter somewhere up on the mountainside.