After manifestly keeping awake for a reasonable time so as to give his actions a semblance of reality, Jack began to nod in his chair, and finally let his head drop against the back of his seat, very naturally, but in a position that would enable him, through nearly closed eyes, to watch every move of the prisoner; and then the Irishman began to snore. Tom and I responded by doing our share of hard breathing, and now the captive began to show some signs of life.
In the dim light I could see him—silhouetted against the white wagon cover—leaning over to his left and working his right arm as if slipping the hand out of the loop that held it to the wheel. When that hand was free he resumed his original position, kept perfectly still for a moment, and, when apparently assured that we were all still asleep, he dropped his free right hand slowly to his waist and carried the hand to his mouth, evidently having drawn his pocket-knife and opened a blade with his teeth. Instead of untying the bonds on his other hand and ankles he had concluded that the quickest and quietest way was to cut them.
After replacing his right hand in its former position on the wheel, watching Jack closely for a moment, and listening intently to our steady, hard breathing, he quietly reached over with the knife in his free hand and cut the string that held his left wrist to the wheel; then replacing both hands on the wheel again for a moment as if tied, he looked earnestly at Jack and then turned an ear toward our tent door.
Assured by our snoring that we were all asleep, he reached down and cut the cords that held his ankles, after which he gave another earnest look at Jack, took a step out from the wheel, and no doubt intended to steal quietly out to his horse and mount him; but as soon as he started from the wagon the dog gave an angry growl and sprang the length of his chain toward the escaping jayhawker.
Knowing that his flight would now be discovered, Tucker quickly darted around the wagon, to get out of the range of Jack's shotgun, with Found lunging on his chain and barking furiously.
Jack sprang to his feet, calling to the fugitive, "Halt! halt!" as he rushed around the wagon, followed by Tom and me, only to see the form of the jayhawker disappearing rapidly in the darkness. Still calling out "Halt! halt!" Jack let off one barrel after another of his shotgun, but high over the head of the retreating ruffian, merely to accelerate his speed. Tucker made no attempt to get his horse and was probably only too glad to get away with a sound carcass.
After chasing him out on the prairie a little way, calling excitedly to one another to mount and follow the fugitive and try to head him off at some point toward the jayhawkers' camp—all to impress Tucker, in case he heard us, of the earnestness of our pursuit and our anxiety to recapture him—we returned to our tent to chuckle over the success of Tom's strategy.
"'Tain't likely," observed Tom, "that he'll fool away time hanging around here to try to get his horse. He's scared bad, for sure, an' no doubt b'lieves every word of that yarn I got off about the company of cavalry; but, to be on the safe side, Jack, you'd best bring the black horse up here an' tie him to the wagon wheel that his former master jest vacated, an' then turn Found loose, an' I'll guarantee no prowler'll come nigh our camp without our gettin' due notice of it."
"Holy smoke," exclaimed Jack, still commenting on the jayhawker's escape, "didn't he run! When I run 'round the wagon after him I could have shot him easy, ef I'd wanted to, fer he lost so much ground a-zigzaggin' as he run, to keep me from hittin' him when I shot, that he hadn't got very far ahead of me. But after I let off both barrels of the shotgun he struck a bee-line fer the timber, only hitting the ground in high places. He'll lose no time in getting back to his camp an' rousing up his men an' telling 'em about the company of cavalry that's comin' after midnight to surround their camp an' hang or shoot every mother's son of 'em. What a time the half-drunken robbers'll have a-saddling up in the dark an' gettin' away from there in a hurry. They'll put as many miles as they can between them an' their ol' camp before that company of cavalry surrounds 'em."
After carrying out Tom's orders we all turned in and slept till daylight, when the veteran's usual morning call brought back the recollection of the recent exciting incidents.