Presently I fancied that I espied a moving speck far down through the
forest glades. I stopped Hal, and, watching closely, soon made certain of
it. Then it became lost for a time, but reappeared again somewhat closer.
It was like a brown blur and scarcely moved. I reined Hal more to the
right. Not for quite a while did I see the thing again, and when I did it
looked so big and brown that I took up my Winchester. Then it disappeared
once more.
I descended into a hollow, and tying Hal, I stole forward on foot, hoping
by that means to get close to the strange object without being seen myself.
I waited behind a pine, and suddenly three horsemen rode across a glade not
two hundred yards away. The foremost rider was no other than the Mexican
whom I had reason to remember.
The huge trunk amply concealed me, but, nevertheless, I crouched down. How
strange that I should run into that Mexican again! Where was he going? Had
he followed me? Was there a trail?
As long as the three men were in sight I watched them. When the last brown
speck had flitted and disappeared far away in the forest I retraced my
steps to my mustang, pondering upon this new turn in my affairs.
"Things are bound to happen to me," I concluded, "and I may as well make up
my mind to that."
While standing beside Hal, undecided as to my next move, I heard a whistle.
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