"Do you think they will get us again?" asked Will anxiously.
"I don't. We've got food for two days and I believe
that something will happen in our favor within that time. Do you notice, Will, that it's beginning to cloud up again? In winter you can't depend upon bright sunshine to last always. I think we're going to have a dark night and it's given me an idea."
"What is it?"
"I won't tell you, because it may amount to nothing. It all depends upon what kind of night we have."
The sun did not return. The clouds banked up more heavily, and in the afternoon Ned went to the Panther. They talked together earnestly, looking frequently at the skies, and the faces of both expressed satisfaction. Then they entered the bed of the creek and examined it critically. Will was watching them. When the two separated and Ned came toward him, he said:
"I can guess your idea now. We mean to escape to-night up the bed of the creek."
Ned nodded.
"Your first guess is good," he said. "If the promise of a dark night keeps up we're going to try."
The promise was fulfilled. The Mexicans made no hostile movement throughout the afternoon, but they maintained a rigid watch.