He rose up softly from behind the boulder. The Indians’ backs were half-turned to him, and their heads were very close together while they whispered softly. Cody poised himself, and, judging his distance, began to circle his rope—which he had brought with him on the chance of tying up a prisoner—carefully.
Swish!
The serpentine loop hurtled over the heads of the redskins, and—dropped! There were two startled screams, both of which were choked off instantly.
The scout flung himself backward and drew the horsehair noose taut. It had caught one Indian around the neck and over the shoulders, and the other had but one hand free. The first jerk yanked both off their feet and held them together with such firmness that they could not rise or stretch the loop. They were like one enraged animal, struggling and lashing out upon the ground!
Buffalo Bill ran in, wound the slack of the line about their writhing bodies and about their legs. In a couple of minutes they were so mixed up with that rope that it was hard to tell which Indian was which!
CHAPTER XXI.
THE CAVE IN THE MOUNTAIN.
Now, despite the excitement of the moment, Cody noticed one fact that delighted him. The two entangled Indians did not cry out. After the first involuntary grunt, neither uttered a yell of rage or despair, and this proved a point in the scout’s favor. There were no other redskins near at hand!
Had there been, a war-whoop from the struggling scamps would have been quite in order. But as they were evidently scouting with their main party at some distance, they were mighty careful about raising a racket and so bringing the soldiers up the hill to the aid of their unknown enemy. As for the latter, Buffalo Bill, he was not in the habit of singing out for help—not even when the odds were greater against him than upon this occasion.
Having yanked the fellows back upon the ground twice, and pulling the lariat so taut that one Indian’s throat was almost cut, he taught the prisoners that he was master. He then, as shown, entangled their feet and legs, and so held them triced like a bale of hay.