“For I must have that boy,” grimly said the villain to himself, as he stowed away his portion of antelope steak; “and when he’s in my hands again, I’ll take care not to let him get away again. Guess I’ll pay one of these reds to slit his little throat for him.”
Meantime, in the grove, they had eaten their supper and drank their whisky and water, and then they posted themselves in positions to guard against surprise.
Pomp searched through his clothes, found the rocket he had placed there, attached it to a stick, and sent it up, and, as the reader knows, it was seen by the driver of the Steam Man and those with him, and a moment later a distant whistle told the darkey that his signal had been seen, and that the man was coming to his rescue.
[CHAPTER XXII.]
THE BATTLE AT THE GROVE.
As the answering whistle came faintly to the ears of the little darkey, he thought he saw a shadowy form moving in the grass some few feet away.
He grasped his knife and dropped silently to the ground.
He was now on a line with the object, and could see it better.
It was a top-knotted Indian, a scout in all probability, who was crawling upon the grove.
“High golly!” muttered the darkey, “if dat ar chap am comin’ fo’ information, dis chile guess he won’t carry de news to Mary. Not much. Guess I kin a’most jump down his froat.”