The lovelight shone in the eyes of Lieutenant¹ Russell, as he looked down at the slight figure beside him. He tenderly passed his arm around the girl and touched his lips to her forehead.  
“It was not that I doubted you, Nellie,” he said, “but that Vose might know the full truth.”
 
Then turning to the guide, he asked:
 
“Do you still advise her to leave me?”
 
Vose Adams was unaccustomed to scenes like this. He moved about uneasily, coughed, cleared his throat, and for a few minutes was at a loss for words.
 
“I don’t know what to advise,” he finally said; “but don’t you think, if she could go to the captain and let him see how she feels, he will give in? How would it do for both of you to walk back with your arms round each other’s neck and sayin’ sweet words––wouldn’t that fetch him? Hanged, if I know what to tell you!” he exclaimed desperately², observing the smiles on their faces.
 
“I am afraid your plan wouldn’t work,” said the lieutenant, “but you have proved yourself the very friend we need.”
 
279
These words were a hint of the scheme that had come into the brain of the young officer. Had he made a prisoner of Vose Adams, as he thought for a minute of doing, the guide would really be more dangerous, since there was no way of guarding against his treachery, but if he could be turned into a friend, it would be almost equivalent to saving the fugitives³. It was that for which the young man planned, but he felt that the real work must be done by Nellie. He could not win the good will of Vose, but she could, for who was able to resist her appeals?
 
It was a proof of the brightness of the girl that she caught the purpose of her escort the moment his last words were uttered, and she performed her part with a cleverness that could not have been surpassed.
 
Tears were in the eyes of the emotional Nellie, but she stepped across the brief intervening space and laid her hand on the arm of Adams.
 
“How glad I am, Vose, that you will help us, for you have told enough to show that it will not do for us to meet father for some time to come; we are now in your hands.”
 
“Blamed if I won’t do anything I can! But what can I do? ’Spose I sneak⁶ back, shoot the captain and then plug Ruggles and the parson? Will that suit you?”
 
“Gracious; I should rather you would kill me than harm a hair of father’s head.”
 
280
“Wal, ’spose I shoot you and the leftenant and the captain and the rest? No; that won’t do; how the mischief⁷ shall I fix things?”
 
The cooler headed Russell saw that the problem had been solved; Nellie Dawson had won over Vose Adams, as may be said, by the turn of her finger. He was eager to do all he could to help them, but in the flurry of the moment could not reason with his usual acumen⁸.
 
“We don’t want any shooting, Vose; I am sure that if we can reach Sacramento without meeting the captain, his anger will pass away. In Sacramento, I shall be able to arrange a meeting between him and his daughter, and his love for her will break down the barriers and do the rest.”
 
“I’m in too deep water when you get to figgerin’ that way, but there seems to be reason in what you say, but what about Ruggles and the parson?”
 
“We’ll leave them out; they are in this as the friends of Captain Dawson, and will not dare go contrary to his wishes, but if they do, it can make no difference to my plan.”
 
“They’re just as savage⁹ as the captain,” said Vose significantly; “and it won’t do to forget ’em; but what did you expect to do, when you left the kenyon? If you come back, you would have been sartin to meet us, and what then?”
 
“My intention was not to return, but to keep away 281 from the main trail and hunt a shorter road through the mountains to Sacramento.”
 
Vose Adams gave a low whistle of astonishment¹⁰.
 
“That’s the worst I ever heard!”
 
“And why?”
 
“You’re not follerin’ any trail at all; you would be sartin to get lost and would never find your way through the mountains; anyhow it would take you three or four years, which I ca’clate is longer than you want to wait.”
 
“How can you be so positive?”
 
“It’s true I never went to Sacramento and back, except by follerin’ for most of the way the trail that I know so well, but other folks as smart as you have been lost in the mountains and you couldn’t help it.”
 
“You advise against it then?”
 
“I’m so sure of your goin’ wrong that I won’t try to help you unless you give up the idee.”
 
“Then I hereby give it up.”
 
Since Vose Adams had committed himself to Russell and Nellie’s interests, there was no more talking at cross purposes. The object of the three was the same, and they sat down on the rocks for consultation¹¹. There was abundance of time in which to do this, since those whom they feared would not leave the cañon until the return of their guide, and he did not mean to go 282 back until the day was so far spent that further delay was unavoidable.
 
“They will be mad when they see me,” he said with a grin, “but it won’t do them any good and I’ll fix up a yarn¹² about gettin’ on and then off your trail agin, that they’ll have to be satisfied with.”
 
“That will serve for to-night, but you will all be astir at an early hour to-morrow morning.”
 
“They will still have to depend on me to guide ’em, and I rather think I can steer¹³ ’em off the track, so as to give you plenty of time to get out of the way.”
 
“How?”
 
“As soon as they leave the kenyon, that is as soon as the way is clear, you must ride back to it and put on all steam for Sacramento, for I understand, leftenant, that you’ve give up your idee of finding a new route through the mountains.”
 
“I have.”
 
“You’ve got two good animals and you’ll gain a full day’s start.”
 
“You forget about poor Cap,” said Nellie.
 
“So I did! if he can’t go with you, you’ll have to leave him behind and ride double, but it will be rather tough on your horse, leftenant.”
 
“Nellie doesn’t weigh enough to make any difference, and I expect to walk most of the distance.”
 
An unexpected piece of good fortune raised the spirits 283 of the three. To the amazement¹⁴ of all, Cap, the pony¹⁵, was seen hunting for grass and bearing upon the lame⁵ foot with little inconvenience. That which was thought to be a bad sprain¹⁶ was only a wrench¹⁷, from which he promised speedily to recover.
 
“He’ll be as well as ever by to-morrow mornin’,” said Vose Adams; “you’ll need to humor him at first, but not for long.”
 
As has been intimated, the guide remained with them through most of the afternoon, for, if he had gone back to his friends earlier than he did, he would not have dared to offer any excuse for not leading them in the pursuit, and he meant to avert¹⁸ all possibility of that. The reader understands by this time why the guide formulated¹⁹ such an astounding²⁰ fiction when attempting to explain the cause of his delay. Had his listeners been in cooler mood, they might have tangled²¹ him up with a few questions, but their exasperation²² and disgust prevented.
 
Before parting with the fugitives, Vose assured them that he was confident their plans could not fail.
 
“All they’ve got to do,” he reflected, “is to do nothing afore to-morrow and then when the road is open, strike out over the main trail as hard as they can travel. I hope none of them Injins that we had the row with will be pokin’ ’round to-night, for if there’s to be any trouble, it’ll come from them.”
 
284
It will be recalled that the story of Adams was received with such coolness that he indignantly resigned and told the captain to run matters himself.
 
“And he’ll make purty work of it,” chortled Vose “he won’t be able to come within miles of where they are hidin’.”
 
When the moody²³ silence had lasted for some time, the guide was moved to remark in a more conciliatory spirit:
 
“There’s one thing that mustn’t be forgot: Colonel Briggs and his folks won’t make any trouble, but we’re not done with them Injins.”
 
“Isn’t there likelihood that Colonel Briggs will divert them?” asked the parson.
 
“No; for the redskins can’t be fooled; they’ll know it wasn’t any of the colonel’s folks that give their chief his walkin’ papers, but us, and they’re the sort of people that don’t forget a thing of that kind.”
 
“I was thinking of hunting up enough wood to start a fire,” said the captain; “but we don’t need it, and I suppose it will be safer without it.”
 
“It seems to me,” observed Ruggles, “that what we’ve got the most to fear is that the Injins will run off with our animals: we would be left in a bad fix.”
 
“We must look out for that; I’ll stand guard the first part of the night.”
 
Each was ready to take his turn, and it was arranged 285 that Captain Dawson should act as sentinel until midnight, when he would awake Vose Adams, who would assume the duty till morning. Soon afterward²⁴, the three wrapped themselves in their blankets and stretched out on the ground, near the boulders²⁵, where they speedily sank into deep slumber²⁷.
 
It seemed to Adams that he had slept less than an hour, when the captain touched him. Rising immediately to a sitting position, he asked:
 
“Is it midnight?”
 
“It’s a half hour past.”
 
“Why didn’t you awake me afore? Have you seen anything wrong?”
 
“I am not sure; my doubt made me hold on a little longer, but I learned nothing of account.”
 
“What was it anyway?”
 
“It is only that the animals appear to be uneasy, but it may mean nothing, or it may mean a good deal.”
 
“It’s more’n likely it means something. Where are they?”
 
“Lying down off there to the right, almost near enough to be seen.”
 
“They can’t be too close; wal, you can sleep and I’ll take my turn.”
 
Thus warned by Captain Dawson, Vose Adams assumed the duties of sentinel with his senses on the alert. He had become so accustomed to the delicate 286 duty, when aware that the slightest slip on his part meant death, that he was better fitted for the task than any member of the party, though the experience of Ruggles and the captain in the army had given them the ability to awake at any moment fixed²⁸ upon before sinking into slumber, and they were sensitive to the least disturbance²⁹ while enjoying refreshing³⁰ rest.
 
Adams believed what he had remarked more than once that the little company of mountain Indians would do their utmost to revenge themselves upon the men who had taken off their chief. He suspected that the five were prowling in the neighborhood, looking for some such opportunity, and that they would strike a blow before the rising of the morrow’s sun.
 
Nothing was to be hoped for in the way of a diversion, created by the intr............