The firing slackened. Just then some mounted men and animals came running in my direction, and as they came near enough to be distinguishable through the glass I made out that the two team mules had gotten away from Tom and Jack, after being unhitched from the wagon, and were now making for camp, chased by a number of Kiowas. The Indians soon caught the mules and led them back.
The firing had now nearly ceased. Of the wagon I could only see the white cover. The Indians seemed to have formed a circle around my comrades and were probably waiting for night to enable them to crawl up near enough to make their rifles effective. This they could do in the darkness, and by digging rifle-pits at close range around the wagon they would have Tom and Jack under a circle of rifle fire by daylight.
CHAPTER XXIII
SURROUNDED BY KIOWAS
As the shades of evening crept over the plain it became impossible for me to see anything distinctly. The occasional reports of their carbines assured me that my companions were still standing off the savages.
I kept asking myself: "What can I do to help them?" But there was no reply.
I had no inclination to eat or sleep but prepared for a long, dismal night of watchfulness. After attending to the horses in the stable I went into our dugout and carried out some blankets and a buffalo robe, and, making a snug bed in the remains of our haystack, where I could command a pretty good view of our camp and surroundings, I settled down for a long night of torturing anxiety.
I had scarcely got settled when a slight noise from up the ravine attracted my attention, and, quickly jumping to the conclusion that some of the Indians were already looking for me, I strained eyes and ears to locate the one who had made the noise.
I soon discerned a dark object coming down the hollow, but, instead of the catlike tread of an approaching Indian, with rushing gallop and joyous bark Found came bounding up to me. In the semidarkness I saw something whitish about his neck, which I knew must be a message from Tom and Jack.