[CHAPTER XV—A LONELY RIDE]
The surprise of the trapper at first made him speechless, as he gazed at his young companion. He had been aware that Reuben had left the camp, but as yet he was without any suspicion that evil had befallen the lad.
“Where did you come from? Why are you here?” he demanded slowly, as he advanced to the place where Reuben was standing.
“I came because they made me come,” replied the boy somewhat ruefully. “They cut me off in the valley, so I couldn’t get back to the camp, and then they tied me up and made me come.”
“You were very good to consent,” replied Kit Carson dryly.
“That wasn’t the point,” laughed Reuben, immensely relieved now that he was once more among his friends. “It wasn’t whether I wanted to come, it was simply because I couldn’t get away!”
“How far do you think you have come?”
“I haven’t any idea. It seems like a long way.”
“It’s a hundred miles.”
“Whew!” whistled Reuben. “The way we came when we first started made me think that you were close on our heels. I never saw a band go faster than they did, and they kept the horses well together, too. Why didn’t you overtake us?”