With mutual good wishes, they parted, and the boys were soon riding in single file up the defile.
In the valley they secreted themselves and their horses, while Ted and Bud went forward to reconnoiter. It was rapidly growing dark in the mountains as Ted and Bud crawled along the mountain paths toward the end of the valley.
Suddenly Ted placed his hand on Bud's arm.
"Some one right ahead of us," he whispered.
"Sentinel, I reckon," answered Bud.
Ted nodded: "You stay here. I'm going forward. I'll be back soon."
Ted glided away into the gloom. Presently Bud heard a muffled cry. Then all was still again.
He waited a few minutes, and was about to go forward, when he heard a slight rustle beside him, and there stood Ted.
"It was a guard," he said. "I jumped him, and gagged him, but he gave me a pretty good fight. I've rolled him away where his pals won't find him. I guess we can go on now, but we must go slowly and quietly. I don't know how many more of them are about."
"Get a line on where the hole is?"