"Sure, she did," added Texas. "I reckon she knew what she was doing. We'd better bide here a bit I reckon."
Under their urging, Frank gave a reluctant consent, for he knew that Jesse would expect him—would expect every one of them to come to him at once, had they reason to believe he was in trouble.
So they waited. One hour, two hours, and three passed, and the men had finally decided to make an investigation, provided they could discover the trail that led up the mountain side. They had only a general idea of where the Indian village lay, but reasoned that they could easily locate it by the camp fires that surely would be burning. They decided that it would be safest to start in single file, the leader holding to the hand of the next to him, and so on, making a human chain, the last man to at all times make sure that he had firm hold of a tree or rock.
"Hark," warned Frank after they had decided upon the direction in which they would make their first attempt.
"What is it?" asked Tony.
"I didn't hear anything," returned Texas.
"Keep still," commanded the elder of the James boys, listening intently. "I am sure I heard a yell."
"Mebby 'twas a cat," suggested Bill. "There's a lot of them in these hills, and they're a danged tough proposition to run into when a fellow's afoot."
"There it is again," cried Frank in a suppressed voice.
They all heard the cry this time and it seemed to be drawing near them.