“Yes. All the men that were left were harmless. But as soon as I had given the word, I was off to meet the captain. I thought he and his bunch would never show up.”
“But when we did come it was our turn to be disappointed.” Here the cavalry officer took up the story. “Bob Hazard and his friends had got ahead of us too.”
“I’m sorry,” began the boy.
“Don’t be for a minute,” said Captain Wendell. “It was an excellent piece of strategy and quite successful. I’ll admit, though, that it was startling to hear the old Apache war whoop come so suddenly from the darkness. Besides that, it forced us to chase our quarry rather than slip up and surround it. But you couldn’t know that, of course, and as we captured most of the band no harm was done.”
“But what happened to the rest? Did they get away?”
“Yes, for the most part, as their horses were fresher. While we were rounding up the stragglers, the others were so far ahead I didn’t think it worth while pursuing them further. But we’ve got enough to make an example of. It’s been a good night’s work.”
“It certainly has,” said Mr. Whitney, “and it seems to me that my thanks are due to everybody. I was away endeavoring to arrange for a detachment of troops to come here and protect the project from just what was about to happen. The trouble at Columbus mixed things up so that they could not give me any definite promise and I thought it best to stick around until I knew what could be expected. I believed that nothing could happen up here so quickly—it was my mistake. But you chaps have made it all right for me. I want to thank you all!”
The group was a little uncomfortable under the direct praise and welcomed the diversion made by Feather-in-the-Wind’s rejoining them, bringing with him a newcomer.
It was Miguel Philipe, who during the excitement had been left lying bound in the bushes where the Indian had dumped him. When he was brought under the light of the porch, he was a sorry looking specimen. He had been unable to defend himself from the insects and his face was puffed and mottled and his eyes almost closed.
“The poor beggar has sure been punished,” said the soldier.