Apparently the liberty they had achieved by such ruthless slaughter of soldiers and redmen in the cave of the old witch was to count for naught.
And as this thought came to them, the companions of the notorious outlaw groaned inwardly.
Not so the notorious Jesse, however.
Save for the deepening of the lines about his mouth and the compression of his lips, he sat erect and rigid.
But his mind was working as it never had worked before.
Through many a desperate situation had he passed unscathed. Yet none of the ruses which had stood him in such good stead on those occasions could he use in his present predicament.
The brilliancy of the moonlight, the presence of foes in front and back, the treeless waste all about him prevented.
Should he make any move, it would be clearly discernable to troopers and Indians alike.
And, aware of his seeming helplessness, the bucks were already yelling in anticipation of his capture.