It was hard to be careful when warmth and shelter seemed so near, but they did as George directed and stopped just outside the circle of the firelight, where they could see without being seen.
If the party was a criminal one, it was certainly a happy one. The boys could hear the members joking and laughing. There seemed to be about a dozen people in the group, and two of them were women. Bits of song and laughter floated out to the boys and the smell of steaming coffee and sizzling bacon made their mouths water.
Suddenly Sammy clutched George's arm.
"They're the fellows we saw chasing the man that day," he said in a hoarse whisper.
"And there's the fellow they hung on the cottonwood tree!" exclaimed Bob.
"Maybe it's his ghost," said Frank, with a feeble attempt at humor that did not hide altogether the shaking of his voice.
Sammy was about to reply when the fire suddenly flared up and brought the boys plainly into the zone of light.
There was a chorus of exclamations from the party around the fire, and several of the men started up and ran in the direction of the boys.
For a moment the boys hardly knew whether to stand or run, but while they were debating the matter the men had come up and surrounded them.