[CHAPTER XXIV.]
“THE HAND OF THE GREAT SPIRIT.”
The reader will remember the mysterious delay on the part of Ralph Radcliffe in reaching the grove, after he leaped from the back of the horse, so as to give the darkey full chance to operate against the redskins who were chasing the little party of prospectors.
Of course there was a cause for all this, and the cause was destined to prove the means of saving Ralph’s life.
The boy was subject to a sort of vertigo, and would sometimes pass into a succession of fainting fits that ultimately rendered him insane for days, and then he would wander around with the vacant stare, meaningless smile and senseless chatter of an idiot.
The fright, excitement, rough riding, and much rougher treatment he had experienced in the past few days had upset the boy’s not over strong nervous system, and when he started for the grove he was taken with one of his fits and fell from view among the grass.
His recovery, second attempt to reach the grove, the pursuit of the three Indians, and his rescue by the plucky Pomp are known to the reader.
In the fight that took place at night Ralph concealed himself in the thick bushes, but this mode of seeking safety really made him a prisoner; for, when the brilliant light from the Steam Man was added to the scene, some of the redskins could see the boy’s shining eyes reflecting back the crimson glow, and they made up their minds to very quietly scoop him in for their leader.
They crept around to the rear of the big cluster of bushes while the fight was at its hottest, and very easily walked away with the boy, holding a hand over his mouth to hush any cry he might make.
They ran him into the camp of tents, handed him over to the tender mercies of an aged warrior, bound and gagged, and then they skedaddled back to the rumpus.