“Yeh, dey go hide, now. Skeered plenty bad, dey is. Don’t know what to mek ’cause Kisch-kouch git killed. T’ink spirits here, mebbe. Go hide—den watch plenty sharp. Dat’s it.”
“But that will not do, Tom,” added Travers, vexedly. “They will keep us here all night, then. If we venture to move, they’ll pick us off, one after the other. I wish we had fired at them as they stood out there—but it’s too late now.”
“Yeh—see—dey hide now. Ought to shoot den—now can’t. Shoot—kill one, two, den oders run ’way off, like de debble. Cap’n he say no—see now dat Delaware was right,” tersely replied the savage.
“But what shall we do? That fellow has gone for help, no doubt, and when he comes back they’ll soon make this place too hot for us. As it is, those devils can hold us here as long as they feel like it. We can’t move without bringing out a rifle-bullet. Come, find some way, Tom,” impatiently added Travers, who evidently relied far more upon the cunning and resources of his companion in times of difficulty like this, than upon his own powers.
“Me do it. Skeer Arapahoe bad, dis time. Git scalp, too, ef don’t look out. No fun, dough, skeer dem—git skeered too easy—den run plenty fast. Got long legs, dem Arapahoes,” chuckled Tom, as he drew his knife from the belt at his waist.
“What do you intend doing, Delaware?”
“Keep eyes open wide, den mebbe so you see,” grunted the savage, who evidently felt his importance in no small degree.
With his knife he cut several scrubby bushes, and then bound them around his head and shoulders, but in such a manner that they would not interfere materially with his sight. This accomplished to his satisfaction, he turned toward Travers, who was now dividing his attention between his companion and the valley below, where the red-skins were hidden.
“Now you open ear—me tell. Injuns down dere—you here—me go some oder place. Den me shoot Arapahoe—de oders dey jump up, all same like rabbit—don’t know where me be—den you shoot—kill ’noder. Den me holler loud—you holler—dey holler an’ run like de debble, ’way off. See?” hurriedly explained Tom.
“You mean to crawl around them?”