“Oh, they’ve got their rifles. I’m not quite a fool,” said the captain.
“Glad to hear that,” the scout returned, and did not stop to explain whether he was rejoiced to hear that the men were properly armed, or that the captain was not an entire ignoramus!
It was too serious a situation for the man to take open offense, however. He, as well as the cook, did Cody’s bidding without further remark. They crept from tent to tent, keeping well in the shadow, while the first guard, warned by the cook, went across and warned the man pacing the beat by the river.
Buffalo Bill was pretty confident that the outlaws would wait until the sentinels were changed at midnight before attacking. That was the best time for such a movement, for the new guards would be sleepy, and the other men would have just settled into heavier sleep.
When the gang had been awakened the captain reported to the scout. Thus far none of the boys had come out of the three larger tents, and they were warned to keep under cover until they received the word.
“You don’t want to have your mules stampeded far,” said the scout. “When the sentinels are changed, let one of those coming off duty step out and lead in your bell-mare, and hobble her inside the line of the wagons. Then you’ll be sure of her, and, even if the long-ears do run away, they’ll come back again, come daybreak.”
The cook’s fire was already out, and Cody warned them to let the other one burn down as low as it would. The more shadowy the camp was the better the freighters could move about without attracting the notice of any watching outlaws.
Cody remained in the little tent with the flap pinned back, and the cook and the captain came to him and reported their missions accomplished. Midnight came—it was not a long wait—and the sentinels went to the tents and appeared to awaken those who were to relieve them. Cody had particularly instructed the man who was to go to the river-bank. One of the others brought in the gray mare. The camp settled down to apparent quietude and peace again.
“Now, boys, to your places,” whispered the scout to the cook and the captain. “Signal your men, captain; be ready to fling on the fire a heap of that light stuff yonder when you hear me hoot, cook! All right!”
The captain crept out once more and scratched with his finger-nail upon the canvas of each tent. At that the freighters began to wriggle out from under the canvas and crawl on their bellies to shelter beneath the wagons. Cody knew that the first fire of the outlaws would be aimed at the tents. Boyd Bennett and his villains would expect to thus kill or seriously wound several of the sleeping freighters and throw the others into utter confusion.