Toma yawned, rose to his feet and stalked over to a window. Looking out, he was surprised to see the free trader’s son already returning with the horses.
“They come,” announced Toma. “The ponies are here.”
Corporal Rand smiled and nodded at Toma, but—a thing the young Indian could not understand—seemed more interested in the conversation than in the arrival of the ponies. Nevertheless, a moment later Rand rose and hobbled to the door. Meade followed him. They went out ahead of Toma, and, as they did so, the policeman remarked:
“Your talk has been a revelation. I’m beginning to see a little light.”
Long afterward, when he and the corporal were out on the trail, Toma studied over that statement. What did Rand mean by that? Hadn’t he always seen the light?
Then he shook his head and gave up in despair. For Corporal Rand, as Toma was well aware, had never had trouble with his vision.
CHAPTER XVIII
A RED BLOB
Burnnel, Emery and Rat MacGregor’s wife set a hard pace. They led Dick and Sandy far afield and it was seldom that the boys ever came in sight of them. It was plain that the prospectors intended to force their horses to the limit in an attempt to overtake the fleeing recluse.
The trail led south. It was a well known trail, much travelled, especially in the Spring and Fall of the year. Then, to the boys’ amazement, the outlaws suddenly left it, striking off southeastward through a country infrequently visited. For a long time Dick and Sandy could find no reasonable explanation for this, but, finally, the younger of the two boys, brooding over the strange conduct of the outlaws, offered an opinion.
They were crossing a broad meadow at the time, exerting their ponies to renewed effort. Through the thick, waving grass ahead, almost waist high, was the faint track made by Burnnel’s party.