"You'd better appoint me guide and captain of this company," smiled the boy as they dismounted and drank greedily of the cool water.
"You'd be a fine captain without a gun," retorted Larry, and in high spirits they remounted.
For a time the boys had the moon for company, but toward, midnight clouds gathered in the sky and a chilly wind began to blow.
"How about pitching camp pretty soon?" suggested Larry.
"Wait till we get to Elkhorn River," answered Horace".
"How far is that? I didn't suppose there was such a thing in these plains."
"Oh, I should say it was fifteen miles from here," returned the young rancher. "It isn't much of a river, but it's better than none."
"Wouldn't ride fifteen—Hello! What's that glow in the sky right next the mountains?" exclaimed Tom, pointing to where a faint glare was visible against the dark background of trees.
"It's a fire," asserted Horace, "a camp fire. You can tell by the steadiness of the light."
Excitedly they speculated as to whose it could be.