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There were five of them. Utes, riding silently through the new night. The high straight trees fragmented the view of them so that you never saw all five, whole, at once. But instead, arms, feathers, rifles, bows, beads.
Standing a hundred yards downhill, Sergeant Crawford watched them drift by. He rested one hand on the neck of his horse.
The Indians seemed to be unaware of him. They continued on their silent way.
After a few more minutes Crawford moved. He walked a few feet from his horse and finished eating the strip of dried beef he'd been working on when he first became aware of the approaching Utes.
He hadn't wanted to risk a campfire, so he forewent coffee. He drank from his canteen, glancing again in the direction that the Indians had gone.
"I better catch up with my two runaways soon," Crawford told himself. "Otherwise the Utes are going to get them first and there may not be much left for me to bring home to the fort."
He waited a few more minutes, then mounted and headed upward. The sky was clear again above the forest.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7LMARPGSf
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"He doesn't know anything more," repeated Katherine. "Please, stop!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8OSNOxhG2
Smokes, his spectacles slightly misted, was looking down at Morisson. "I ain't jus' sure 'bout that, mam."
The giant was crouched on the floor. Blood streaked his face.
Smokes wiped the bloody barrel of his revolver on the leg of his muddy trousers. He let the weapon drop into his holster. "Though mebbe yer right at that, mam. Mebbe now it's yer turn t' tell me stuff."
"Listen, Smokes," said Hare.
"Don't ya push me, feller," Smokes said to him. "Don't yew rile me none, neither. I'll fix ya good once't an' fer all. Then I'll do whatever I dang well please."
On the other cot, Hopalong bounced once. "How's 'bout we save th' rest o' th' questions till after we eat?"
His eyes on the blond Katherine, Smokes said, "I ain't hungry."
"Well, I sure am," said Hopalong. "If we're a'gonna spend th' night here, I'd say it's 'bout time fer some grub."
"Won't hurt nuttin' t' stop a spell an' eat," said Craig.
Smokes said, "All right, Hop'long, go out an' bring in some s'plies from off our pack horseys. Yew an' Craig kin eat if ya want, while me an' the yeller-haired girl talk 'bout things."
"That hill's maybe still out there," said Hopalong.
"Prob'bly not," Smokes nodded at the darkness outside. "I'd be willin' t' bet that hill's long gone, prolly halfway back t'----wherever he came from----by now."
Craig said, "Git off'n yer fat butt, Hopalong, an' bring us in some vittles."
After a few seconds of hesitation, the fat man left the cot. His right hand hovering near his holster, he walked, drag-footed, to the doorway. "Could be most anythin' out there," he said, mostly to himself. "Hills, Injuns, mountain cats....most anythin'."
"An' if ya ain't out there in 'bout one second more," threatened Smokes, "yer gonna have worse trouble than any hill or redskin kin make fer ya."
"Okay, okay, I'm a'goin'," said Hopalong. He stepped slowly and carefully out into the night.
He never came back.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrS6AN3R01S
