“Rather,” drawled his chief.  “My height and general appearance, together with the fact that the former chief always wore a mask, have served us well.  I wonder what the Apaches would do to us if they knew how I disposed of their real chief?”

His lieutenant laughed heartily.

“It would be no laughing matter if they were to find it out,” said Duval.

“Perhaps not; still it is funny,” was the reply.

The black cat jumped into Duval’s lap, and he stroked it and talked to it.  Then the animal began to claw at him.

“What’s the matter, kitty?” asked Duval.

The animal cried and continued to claw at him.

“He wants to get down,” said the other.

Duval released his hold on the cat, which immediately jumped to the floor and walked under the bed, to where Hal lay.  The lad saw the animal coming, and reached out a friendly hand, thinking to keep it quiet.

But the cat’s back bristled.  Its tail grew to huge proportions, and it snarled and spat at him angrily.

“What do you suppose is the matter with the cat?” asked Duval.

“Sounds like he had found a dog under the bed,” was the reply.

The hissing and snarling continued.

“Something wrong,” said Duval.  “Might as well have a look.”

He dropped to his knees and peered under the bed, to where Hal was now defending himself against the attacks of the cat, which was striking at him with his sharp claws.

“See anything?” asked Duval’s lieutenant.

“Man under the bed,” replied Duval quietly.  “Get out your gun and get on the other side of the bed.”

His lieutenant obeyed with alacrity, and each, with a revolver in his hand, looked cautiously under the bed.  Then Duval stretched forth a hand and, seizing the cat by the tail, dragged it forth.  At the same time he called out: 

“Come out from under there!”

Hal saw that resistance, between two fires as he was, would be useless.

“All right,” he called back.

He crawled forth slowly, but before he emerged he drew his two revolvers from his pocket and dropped them beneath the bed.  He was thoughtful enough to realize that, should he manage to regain his freedom, the guns under the bed would come in handy.

The lad got slowly to his feet and faced the two criminals.

Both started back in surprise at sight of his face.  They recognized him immediately.

“Choteau!” cried Duval.

His lieutenant also exclaimed aloud.

“What are you doing here?” demanded the Apache chief sternly.

“I just wanted to see where you lived,” replied Hal quietly.

“Why?”

“Well, there has been so much talk about you, your being a gentleman, and all that, that I wanted to satisfy my curiosity.”

“Well, your curiosity is satisfied.  What now?”

“Nothing,” said Hal briefly.