Out we got; and we hadn't ran a quarter of a mile before we heard a tramping of horses coming along by the stream. We stopped to listen, for we knew if they had the dog with them, and if he was on our side of the river, we were as good as dead.
'If they take the trail, Seth,' Rube said, 'it's all up with us. Don't let's run any more. We are men enough to shoot the four first who come up, and I only hope one of them may be El Zeres; that'll leave us a pistol each, and we will keep them for ourselves. Better do that, by a long way, than be pulled to pieces with hot pincers.'
'A long way, Rube,' I said. 'That's agreed, then. When I give the word, put the barrel against your eye and fire; that's a pretty safe shot.'
As the Mexicans got to the place where we had got out, we stopped and held our breath. There was no pause—on they went; another minute, and we felt certain they had passed the spot.
'Saved, by thunder!' Rube said; and we turned and went off at a steady trot that we could keep up for hours. 'How long shall we get, do you think, Seth?'
'That all depends how long they follow down stream. They can't tell how far we are ahead. I should think they will go two miles down; then they will cross the stream and come back; and if they don't happen to be on the right side of the stream as they pass where we got out, they will go up another two or three miles, and near as much down, before they strike the trail. We're pretty safe of half an hour's start, and we might get, if we're lucky, near an hour. We ain't safe yet, Rube, by a long way. It's near thirty miles from Pepita's to the camp. We've come sixteen of it good—eighteen I should say; we have got another twelve to the road, and we ain't safe then. No; our only chance is to come across a hacienda and get horses. There are a good many scattered about; but it's so dark we might pass within fifty yards and not see it. There won't be a streak of daylight till four, and it ain't two yet.'
'Not far off, Seth.' By this time we had got our wind again, and quickened up into a fast swing; but our work had told on us, and we couldn't have gone much over seven miles an hour. Several times, as we went on, we could hear a trampling in the dark, and knew that we had scared some horses; but though we had a lasso we had brought with us, we might as well have tried to catch a bird with it. In an hour we heard the dog again, but it was a long way behind. There was nothing for it now but hard running, and we were still seven miles from the road, and even that didn't mean safety. I began to think we were going to lose the race, after all. In another quarter of an hour we stopped suddenly.
'Thunder!' said Rube; 'what's that?' Some animal, that had been lying down, got up just in front of us.
'It's a horse! Your lasso, Rube!' Rube, however, had made a tremendous rush forward, and, before the animal could stretch himself into a gallop, had got close, and grasped him by the mane.
'It's no go,' Rube said, as the horse made a step forward; 'he's an old un, dead lame.'