“That is not improbable,” said Seguin. “Proceed, Rube!”
“More’n that,” continued the trapper, “I’ll stake high thet he ordered them not to foller him, afeerd thet some on ’em mout see what he kim for. If he’d a-thought they knew or suspected, he’d ’a sent some other, an’ not kum himself; that’s what he’d ’a done.”
This was all probable enough; and with the knowledge which the scalp-hunters possessed of the Navajo character, they one and all believed it to be so.
“I’m sartin they’ll kum back,” continued Rube; “that ur, his half o’ the tribe, anyways; but it’ll be three days clur, an’ well up till another, afore they drinks Peenyun water.”
“But they would strike our trail the day after.”
“If we were green fools enough to let ’em, they wud.”
“How can we prevent that?” asked Seguin.
“Easy as fallin’ off a log.”
“How? how?” inquired several at once.
“By puttin’ them on another scent, do ’ee see?”