They were creeping noiselessly along over the soft grass. A chill of terror seized Frank Reade, Jr.
He thought of the greasers.
Might it not be a band of them intent upon attacking the camp?
The more he pondered upon the matter the more convinced he became that such was a fact.
But one thing puzzled him.
The prospectors had appointed a very strong picket guard. How had the greasers managed to pass them?
This was a question not easily determined at that moment.
It was possible that they had silently overpowered the picket, or that the latter had slept at his post.
In any event the enemy were creeping up to surprise the camp.
The realization came upon Frank Reade, Jr., with a force which for a moment seemed likely to overwhelm him.