Having disposed of the dogs, Tom stepped cautiously into the house, and I moved up as near the door as I dared, to take the guns as he passed them out, not forgetting meanwhile to keep my eye on the Indians, as he had directed.

Once I ventured to look in at the door, and when I saw the sight the inside of the cabin presented, I wondered that Tom’s heart did not fail him. There were no beds in the room, and the forms of Luke Redman and his boys were scattered over the floor in such positions that Tom was obliged to step over one or two of them in order to reach the guns, which I saw were stacked in the furthest corner of the cabin, with the powder-flasks and shot-pouches belonging to them hanging from their muzzles. Luke, looking like a giant among pigmies, lay 232stretched out on his blanket in the middle of the floor, one powerful arm thrown over his head, and the other passed through the handles of the valise, which he had hugged close to his side.

This was a most discouraging sight. I thought the money might as well have been locked up in some iron safe.

Tom, who had not failed to make the best use of his eyes, quickly discovered that he had something of a task before him, but I could see that he was not disheartened by it. The frown on his face deepened, and a determined expression settled about his mouth. He placed his hand on one of the guns, and then turned to look at Luke, as if thinking up some plan to secure the valise, when a powder-flask, loosened from its fastening, fell with a loud noise on the floor.

“What’s that ar?” growled Barney, raising himself on his elbow so suddenly that I was almost ready to believe that he had been merely feigning sleep on purpose to be ready to catch Tom.

He rubbed his eyes as he gazed stupidly about the room, and I, knowing that I could 233not stir without attracting his attention, remained perfectly motionless. Tom dropped on the instant, and, with a quickness that was astonishing, stretched himself at full length on the floor. If Barney saw him at all, he probably thought he was one of his companions.

The leader of the Dragoons was too sleepy to spend much time or energy in investigating the cause of the disturbance. He yawned once or twice, and, reaching out his hand, took a gourd from a nail over his head, dipped it into a bucket of water that stood close by, and while he was drinking, I could have vowed that his eyes were fastened squarely on my face.

I stood just outside the door, in plain sight, and how it happened that he did not discover me, I can not tell; but it was very evident that he did not, for when he had satisfied his thirst, he returned the gourd to its nail, rolled over on his blanket, and, with one arm under his head for a pillow, speedily went off into the land of dreams again.

For full five minutes my companion in the corner remained so motionless that he scarcely seemed to breathe. At the end of that time a 234faint snore coming from Barney’s direction mingled with the others, and that must have satisfied Tom that the danger was passed, for in a second he was on his feet again.

He at once turned his attention to the guns, and to my surprise, instead of selecting two of the weapons, he began to load himself down with them. When he had collected all he could carry, he stepped cautiously over the prostrate forms and came out of the cabin.

“Joe,” he whispered excitedly, as I accompanied him toward the grape-vine at the foot of the bluff, “I have just thought of something grand. Those fellows may wake up and pursue us before we can reach a place of safety; and wouldn’t it be a good plan to take all their guns away from them?”

“It would, indeed,” I replied; “but you will have to make two or three trips to bring them.”

“Oh, I can carry them all at one more load, and then I’ll go back for that money.”

“Tom, you had better give that up,” said I. “You will only put yourself in danger for 235nothing, for you can’t get that valise without waking Luke Redman.”

“Can’t I? Well, I’ll show you that I can. I know just how to do it. Now, Joe, while I am gone you had better pick out two guns—be sure and get the best—and hide the others under this grape-vine. They’ll never think of looking for them there.”

Tom went into the house again, and I hastened to carry out his suggestions. As the Indians had left their guns in the cabin with the others, I found my own double-barrel among those Tom had brought out, and also Sandy’s, of both of which I took possession.

After slinging the powder-flasks and shot-pouches which belonged to them over my shoulder, I dropped the ramrods into the weapons, and found that they contained more than five fingers of a load. They were heavily charged with buckshot, whi............