“Yes, I have heard that. And these are some of them?”
She glanced at the sky. Being a prairie girl, she knew the stars by sight, and was able to tell which was north as well as any one. She saw the Big Dipper, with its two outer stars pointing to the north star. She had observed that a change had been made in their course, and she saw that a further change of course occurred now, a change that surprised her, for she knew it was not the right direction to take her to her father’s claim. She spoke of it to the man who rode beside her.
“Oh, yes, right ye are! But, you see, it’s this way: There’s danger now in going the straight course, and so we make this circle. We’ll be steering in the other direction soon.”
“What is the danger?” she asked.
“Outlaws,” he said gravely.
“Outlaws?”
“You’ve heard of the stage holdups? Well, it’s the fellows who have been doing that work. These men here saw them over in that direction this afternoon, and so we’re trying to get round them. I didn’t want to worry you by mentioning it.”
This satisfied her for a time, but when, in the course of two or three hours of brisk riding, they passed through a deep cañon pass and came to a hollow in the hills, at a point which she was sure was a long way from her father’s mining claim, and there saw some log huts of poor construction, and the party was challenged by a guard, her fears sprang up.
“What does this mean?” she demanded.
“We’re going to get a stronger force here,” said Panther Pete, still thinking that lying would serve him best. “We need a large escort.”