Down thundered the vigilants in hot pursuit.
The creek was quickly forded and the pursuers seemed to be gaining at every bound.
But of a sudden the savages executed a peculiar and inexplicable maneuver.
Suddenly and without warning they split in two sections, one going to the right and the other to the left.
In one division was the girl captive, Bessie Rodman, and in the other Walter Barrows.
The party who had the girl in charge started for the defile.
The other made directly across the valley. In a flash of time the purpose of the savages was made apparent.
The vigilants could not go both ways with splitting up.
As they were much less in number than the Apaches the result of this would be to greatly weaken them, if not actually place them at the mercy of the red foe.
On the other hand it was a problem as to which direction to pursue or which party to follow.