“Yes it is I,” answered George Ackerman, for he it was. “I have come back safe and sound, and that is all I can say to you now about myself. I want to talk to you about yourselves, and especially to you Ned. By the way, I suppose this is the friend from Foxboro’ whom you have so long been expecting.”
Ned replied that it was, but he forgot to introduce the two boys to each other, and so did Uncle John. There was something about George that made them forget it. When they came to look at him they saw that he was very much excited, and that his face wore an expression they had never seen there before. They could not tell whether he was frightened or troubled.
“Why, George!” exclaimed Uncle John, in some alarm. “What is the matter? Any bad news? Are the Indians or Mexicans——”
“Yes, I have bad news,” interrupted George, almost impatiently, “and but little time to tell it in. Ned, you and your friend must pack up and leave this rancho, and this county, too, without the loss of an hour’s time. You are in danger, and I have placed myself in danger by coming here to tell you of it!”
The boy’s words produced the utmost surprise and consternation among those who listened to them.
CHAPTER XII.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
George found his herdsman eager for news from the settlement, as he always was, but he had nothing to tell him that was very interesting. He could have given him some information that would have made him open his eyes and put him in fighting humor at once; but he thought it best to avoid that subject altogether. If he told Zeke that Uncle John had threatened to take his herd of cattle away from him, under the plea of reducing expenses, but really as George believed, for the purpose of turning it over to Ned, the old man would have been as angry as George was when he first learned of the fact. But the boy didn’t want to let Zeke know how mean his uncle was, and so he said nothing about his plans. They never could be carried out while Zeke was there to protect his stock, and George could afford to be magnanimous.
George and his herdsman made an early start on the following morning, and the third night found them at Catfish Falls. They now felt perfectly safe, for the raiders had never been known to penetrate so far into the country. Their depredations were principally confined to the counties bordering on the river, it being their object to stampede all the stock they could find in one night’s raid, and drive it across the river into Mexico, before the settlers could gather in sufficient numbers to pursue them. They tried as hard to avoid a fight as the ranchemen did to overtake them.
George made the camp and cooked the supper, and when they had satisfied their appetites, the former laid down on his blanket in front of the fire with his saddle for a pillow, and listened to Zeke, who talked and smoked incessantly. Their work for the day was over now. The cattle were always brought close in to camp at dark, the horses and mule were staked out, and the campers went to bed at an early hour. If they awoke during the night, they replenished the fire with some of the fuel that was always kept close at hand, and walked around the herd to see if there were any restless ones in it who felt inclined to stray away. George performed this necessary duty twice on this particular night making the first round about twelve o’clock. To his surprise, he found the most of the cattle on their feet, and saw that some of them were exhibiting unmistakable signs of uneasiness and alarm. They stood snuffing the air eagerly, carrying their heads high and their ears thrown forward, and now and then they would walk a few steps out of the herd, lower their horns and paw the ground as if challenging the object that had excited them, whatever it was, to come out and give them battle. The rest of the cattle were lying down, chewing their cuds contentedly, and apparently not at all disturbed by the antics of their nervous companions.
George threw himself flat upon the ground and swept his eyes around the horizon. In this position, he could distinctly see any object that might be approaching the camp (provided, of course, that it was taller than the grass) for it would be clearly outlined against the sky. But he could see nothing. He arose to his feet again and listened intently, but could hear nothing calculated to excite his alarm. The wolves which serenaded them every night were holding a concert a short distance away, and that made George believe that if there was any danger approaching, it was yet a long distance off; for he knew that the wolves would be the first to discover it, and that they would then bring their concert to a close and take to their heels.