“But, remember, neither of the guards must move into the domains of the others, for my orders are to shoot everything on two legs you see prowling about, be it ghost or man.
“Now, Jack, you go on duty with three men until midnight, and I will relieve you then with three more.”
This plain talk quieted the foolish dread of those who had been feeling anxious as to what might happen, and Texas Jack went on duty with three men whom he called to follow him, being careful to select two of the three whom he knew had an uncanny fear of the place.
One of them he left on guard at the hacienda with a comrade who had no fear of ghosts, and the other he took out in the grounds with him, though showing no sign that he suspected either.
The horses were huddled together in one corner of the walled-in plaza, and the cattle were in another, all quiet and apparently wondering why they were penned up.
As the guards left the hacienda the others turned in for the night, and were soon fast asleep, Buffalo Bill setting the good example by dropping off instantly into a deep slumber.
Soon after the guards had gone on duty, the horses began to grow uneasy, just why Texas Jack could not understand. As they still continued their restlessness, he told the man who was with him to stand guard at the gateway while he went among the restive animals.
But the man preferred to go with him, and he said no more.
The two quieted the horses, to find that the cattle also were getting restive, and, cowboy fashion, Texas Jack began to sing to them, for, as he muttered to himself: