He remained for a long while watching, watching, and striving to digest the signs he beheld. They were many, and alarming. But their full meaning was difficult to his untutored mind.
Here it was that the Padre ultimately found him. He had been gone so long that the elder man’s uneasiness for his safety had sent him in search.
“What d’you make of it, Buck?” he demanded, as he came up, his apprehensions finding no place in his manner.
Buck displayed no surprise. He did not even turn his head.
“The fires are hotting. The water’s nigh boiling. There’s goin’ to be a mighty bust-up.”
The Padre looked out across the water.
“There’s fire around us, fire above us, and now—fire under us. We’ve got to choose which we’re going to face, Buck—quick.”
The Padre’s voice was steady. His feelings were under perfect control.
Buck laughed grimly.