“Something in there, eh?”
Duke wagged his tail and capered about. Ross’s heart beat tumultuously.
“It must be a friend, then,” he murmured tremulously. “If it were an enemy—man or beast—he’d growl. Can it be possible that Bright Wing or Joe——”
“Hist!” was the faint whisper that came to the young man’s ears and interrupted his cogitations.
Duke gave a short, sharp yelp of joy.
“Hist!” said the voice again in the softest whispered tone. “I see you, Ross Douglas—an’ I see the redskins watchin’ you. Me an’ Bright Wing’s hid in the brush here. Don’t look ’round, fer God’s sake! Do you hear an’ understand me?”
Douglas slyly nodded.
“Well,” continued Farley’s voice, “listen to what I’m goin’ to say. We’ve been hidin’ ’round the camp fer three ’r four days. We’ve come to rescue you—but we can’t do it this time; you’re too close watched. Go back to camp an’ never let on you’ve heerd anything. We hain’t had a bite to eat fer twenty-four hours. We’ve got to move away from here an’ hunt somethin’. To-morrer evenin’ at dusk, stray out here ag’in. Bring a gun an’ ammynition with you, if you can. Come anyhow. We’ll git you out o’ y’r scrape ’r die a-tryin’—we will, by Kizziar! Now go—an’ tie up the dog. He might come nosin’ ’round an’ spile everything. You hear all I say?”
Again Ross almost imperceptibly nodded.
“All right. Be off—the Injins is watchin’ you mighty close an’ suspicious-like.”