How could they escape?
Suddenly he thought of his horse. Not one of the Comanches could overtake the “Ranger,” as his steed was called.
One only could escape, and that one must be the Donna Iola.
The exchange of horses only took a few seconds, but during that time the Indians gained upon them considerably.
The Donna did not know what Chauncy meant by changing horses, and when he told her of his plan she refused right up and down to desert him. Chauncy knew how to bring her round, however. He told her that if both were captured there was no chance for escape, whereas if one got off that one could bring assistance and thus both would escape.
The Donna saw that this was a fact, and gave her consent to go, but she resolved to stick to Chauncy until the last moment.
The Comanches, led by Red Buffalo himself, came rushing on like a whirlwind, uttering loud yells now and then.
They felt sure that the two fugitives were as good as in their power, and why should they not?
Were they not gaining rapidly on them and was not one of the horses giving out? Red Buffalo had begun to despond about ever finding the young Donna, and now that she seemed within his grasp, he began to feel a fierce joy.
She would never escape from him again if he once got her to the Indian village. The sharp young girl had drugged the squaw in whose charge she had been given, and while the latter was sleeping had made her escape, taking some food and a horse with her. Unluckily for her (though an excellent judge of horses) she happened in the darkness to get a poor steed out of the horse-corral, and now the horse was breaking down.