CHAPTER XXIII.
BUFFALO BILL’S CAPTURE.
The Red Feathers who had discovered and captured the baron had also discovered the presence of Buffalo Bill’s party, or had been informed by the woman.
This was not immediately manifest, however. Buffalo Bill drew his party back from the mouth of the mountain notch, intending to go into concealment until by careful scouting he could learn something about the Toltec town supposed to be in that hole in the plain.
By and by Buffalo Bill set out alone, intending to steal along the base of the mountains which girt the valley, hoping to come on something which would aid him. He had two reasons now for wanting to get into the town which he was sure existed. The child was there, and so was the baron. Toltec Tom had so apparently deserted him that he concluded not to trouble about the fellow, unless fate threw the latter in his way.
The great scout had proceeded nearly a mile when a sudden outburst of yells behind him, accompanied by a cracking of rifles, told him that his friends had been attacked.
He began to backtrack at once, to assist them in this emergency, when he discovered that some Red Feathers had got in between himself and the camp.
Suddenly he found himself between hills, on the edge of a cañon, with no way of crossing but an Indian footbridge of ropes, a thatching of ropes and reeds—a swaying, flimsy structure, hanging over the cañon and reaching from side to side.
There was no time for hesitation, and Buffalo Bill rushed upon the swaying bridge, in an effort to cross.
In the middle of it he halted and drew his revolvers. By apparent intention, he had been driven upon that bridge by the Indians who had chased him, that he might be corralled, for other Indians now appeared in the path on the other side of the cañon, closing in on him there, as the others were closing in on him from the rear.
On each side Indians dashed to the ends of the bridge and began to hack at the ropes.