“They’re so fur off that I couldn’t have heard ‘em at all if the wind hadn’t brought the sound of their horses’ feet to me,” was the herdsman’s answer. “But they’re comin’ fast, an’ they’ll be here in five minutes. The horses are waitin’ at the door!”
“You have not an instant to lose,” said our hero, turning to the frightened boys and speaking as rapidly as he could.
“Where are you going to take them, George?” asked Uncle John, as soon as he had recovered the use of his tongue.
“I intend to show them the way to the coast—we shall probably bring up at Brownsville—and send them up north. But you will have plenty of time to communicate with us after we get out of harm’s way, and we can then decide what ought to be done Mr. Gilbert thinks Ned can come back after a while, but that Gus had better go home and stay there.”
“I think so, too,” cried Ned. “I wish I had never seen him. If he hadn’t come here I’d never got into this miserable scrape!”
“But what am I to do?” asked Uncle John, who seemed to have no mind of his own.
“You’ll have to stay here until you have settled this matter, and then you had better follow us to the coast. Pay Mr. Cook for his cattle and give up the stolen horse, making the best excuses for Ned that you can think of.”
“Where is the horse now, Ned?” asked his father.
“I don’t know,” replied the boy. “He went off with the raiders. Hurry up, George! Don’t stop to talk any more!”
“I am ready if you are. If the horse is gone you’ll have to pay for him, Uncle John. Ned will need some money to bear his expenses. I’ll be back in a minute.”