Alkali Pete nodded, and when he had gone from sight, with the Indian in tow, the king of scouts continued his journey toward the haunt of the enemy.
The route he took would bring him to the farther end of the valley that held the stone fortification.
He was not obliged to use the cañon in which he had camped, and he hoped by moving in a direction opposite to that the Apaches would have to take to reach the cliff dwellings that he might meet with no obstructions.
Among the rocks on a ridge that overlooked the little valley he halted, and for some minutes listened for sounds and looked for signs of life in or about the stone structure.
CHAPTER XII.
ENVIRONED BY PERILS.
Buffalo Bill could see a portion of the building from his coign of vantage, but this portion was the rear. The door, that opened into a walled inclosure of several acres, was open, and this circumstance led the scout to believe that the castle was vacant.
After the lapse of fifteen minutes, Buffalo Bill began a cautious descent of the ridge. He reached safely the wall surrounding the castle, and there paused and again listened for sounds.
Hearing nothing, he stole round to the front. The wall gate here was not locked, and he walked into the inclosure, and did not stop until he came to the heavy door, which, like the door at the rear, was open.
Now it was that the fearless king of scouts did some responsible thinking. It was certainly strange that the front gate should be unlocked, and that both doors of the castle should be open. Had they been left open by design?
He looked up at the window. There were two at the front, and each was small and heavily barred. The bars were close together, so that it would be impossible for an enemy to shoot any person on the ground.