“We’ll have to be on our guard night an’ day,” said Sam Barringford. “The advance guard will have to spread out purty well an’ beat the brush thoroughly. At the first sign o’ danger, whistle or fire a gun and then come to the center.”
The old frontiersman had been selected as a leader, and the others agreed to follow his advice. The bordermen and the regulars spread out into a regular circle around the pack-horses and those with the steeds, and Mrs. Dobson and the children were cautioned not to wander off by the roadside under any circumstances.
That evening the party encamped by the side of a stream at a point where there was a good-sized opening in the forest. Guards were stationed on both sides of the watercourse, every man being on duty four hours during the darkness. The horses were tethered in a circle and in the center a small tent was pitched, in which Mrs. Dobson, Nell, and the twins might rest.
Sam Barringford remained on guard duty from eight o’clock to midnight, his post being to the north of the camp proper, where the stream made a turn between some rocks and tall trees. The old frontiersman was tired out by his day’s tramp, but did not grumble over being compelled to keep awake.
“It’s got to be done, an’ thet’s all there are to it,” he said to Rodney, “Reckon we kin sleep a week when we git to hum.”
“I shan’t mind staying awake, when my turn comes,” answered Rodney. “But I do hope the Indians won’t appear. I shouldn’t care so much if we were alone, but with Mrs. Dobson, Nell, and the twins it is different.”
The night was a fairly clear one, with countless stars showing between the drifting clouds. There was no breeze worth mentioning and the stillness, away from the somewhat restless horses, was intense.
Barringford walked slowly up and down the watercourse, occasionally mounting one of the rocks to get a better look at the surroundings. His trained eyes took in a good portion of territory, and the least movement among the trees would have attracted his attention. He was sleepy, but he did not allow his eyes to close for an instant.
He had just climbed down from the rocks for at least the tenth time, when he heard a rustle in some bushes at a distance. He listened with strained ears, at the same time dropping flat upon the ground, so that a possible enemy might not see him too readily.
All became silent, and he waited patiently for several minutes. Then came the crack of a twig, as some weight pressed upon it. A moment more and a figure ran through the bushes, not towards the camp but from it.