Lone¹ Wolf no doubt meant to warn Ned against any attempt at escape; for, where the surveillance was relaxed, as it would probably be now and then in his case, he was certain to see many occasions when he would be tempted² to give them the slip.  
On the way to this place, Corporal Hugg had given the lad an insight into the ways of the redmen, and the boy began to use his knowledge. The perilous³ position in which he was placed helped to sharpen his wits, for he began to see things in their true light. The chief had expressed his hatred⁴ of Colonel Chadmund in too vigorous language to be mistaken; and Ned now believed that in sparing his life the Indian had been actuated by some other motive⁵ than mercy because of his age.
 
"He means to strike father through me," he concluded, as he sat upon the blanket in deep thought. "He will kill me in some way more horrible than the rest, and he is waiting until he has a good chance to do it, so that father will be sure and know it. He thinks he has scared me out of trying to get away, but the next chance I get I'll do it. I believe I can dodge⁶ him. But I'll have to shut his eye up, so as to have the better show."
 
At this juncture⁷ Lone Wolf came toward him, bearing in his hand a large bone, rather bountifully covered with meat, which he was gnawing⁹ as he walked, grasping either end of it with his hand, and fixing his black eyes upon the lad as he advanced.
 
"Do you want something to eat?"
 
"I should think I did," replied Ned, with a laugh which he forced so well that no one would have suspected its sincerity¹⁰. "I'm about half starved to death, and was afraid I was not going to get any supper at all!"
 
"Take that, and go to sleep."
 
The large bone was given a flirt¹¹ by the huge warrior¹², and fell directly into his lap. It was not very pleasant to take it second-hand¹³, but a boy in his situation could not be very fastidious, and, thanking the chief for his princely liberality, Ned fell to and gnawed¹⁴ away like a famished¹⁵ dog. It struck him as curious that none of the warriors¹⁶ appeared to note his presence, but he knew better than to believe that such apparent blindness was real. He was as securely within their power as if bound hand and foot.
 
"He told me to go to sleep," he said, as he stretched out upon his blanket; "I guess I'll try and do it. I don't see any use of sitting up and watching such a set of wretches¹⁷ as they are. I'd rather have a pack of wolves about me than such as they."
 
The night was too mild to require the blanket wrapped over him; besides which the warmth from the camp fire was very perceptible; so he lay upon his back looking up at the stars and endeavoring to shut out from his thoughts the hateful beings gathered around, and whose grunting¹⁸ voices and loud exclamations¹⁹ were never quiet, but continued so long that they acquired a certain monotony, like the rattle²⁰ and hum of the mill, which lulls²¹ the miller²² to sleep.
 
"It's strange," he murmured, as his imaginings became as wayward as a boy's will. "Father is off yonder, I don't know how many hundred miles, and mother is just the opposite way in Santa Fe, and here I am about half way between them. We were never so scattered²³ in all the world before. I wonder what father will do when he finds out about Lone Wolf? The chief has put his blanket of greenbacks away somewhere, and I guess he knows how to take care of them. I declare, but that was a big haul—one hundred thousand dollars at a lick! I should think Lone Wolf might afford to retire now on what he has made. But the poor men," added Ned, with that sudden throb²⁴ of the heart which always came when lie recalled the fearful attack and massacre²⁵ in Devil's Pass. "Not one of them left alive! Oh, I wish I could forget it all! but I never, never can. The Indians have done such things many a time before, but I never saw them. It'll kill me if I don't keep it out of my thoughts."
 
There seemed to be less moon that night than on the previous eve............