Perhaps she fancied that one of the sleepers moved, for suddenly Sallie sank down flat upon the ground as though stricken with death, and lay there while several full minutes passed.
Amos bobbed his head up again and again, as though he could not understand just why the little girl had halted in her rescue work. He seemed to have been expecting her coming, from which Dolph guessed that Amos must have earlier in the night received some hint as to what he might expect.
The alarm, however, proved to be without foundation, it seemed; for presently Sallie was once more on the move, approaching now the sprawling form of Big Gabe, who chanced to have cast himself down near the prisoner, though perhaps after all it had been design on his part that caused the timber cruiser to do this.
These sort of wood voyagers are accustomed to waking by instinct when the fire burns low, and a chill pervades the air of the camp; the soft footfall of a cat might arouse them.
And Sallie knew it.
Dolph remembered what his instructions had been. He was to make use of his gun as a gentle persuader in case of trouble while Teddy was creeping forward. Now that the task of setting Amos free had been transferred to the shoulders of another there was just as much reason for vigilance.
Accordingly, Dolph brought his gun to bear upon the burly figure of Big Gabe. If that worthy had reared up at that particular moment, the chances were the timber cruiser would have found himself precipitated into a peck of trouble.
But now Sallie had managed to creep past the man who snored, as he lay flat on his broad back. She was very close to Amos, who appeared to be more or less nervous. Dolph could guess why. He understood that it galled the woods boy to be compelled to lie there, incapable of helping himself, and just wait to be set free by a small, weak girl.
Amos was proud and would feel the humiliation of this for many a day. But of course he was too sensible a boy to refuse to profit by the opportunity.
When the girl bent down beside the prisoner Dolph gave vent to a sigh of genuine relief; for he had watched her slow and laborious progress over the intervening ground with his heart almost in his throat, as they say, with suspense.