“Here I am alone again,” he said to himself, “excepting the horse, and I’ve got a loaded revolver.  Sut don’t think those Apaches can get here before to-morrow morning, and he knows more than I do about it, so I hope he’s right.  We’ve got thus far on our way home, and it would be a pity if we should fail.”

As he looked around, he saw nothing in the place or surroundings which would have commended it to him.  There was water in the shape of a trickling stream, and that was plenty everywhere, but there was scarcely a spear of grass visible.  The vegetation was stunted and unthrifty in appearance.  There were stones and rocks everywhere, with nothing that could serve as a shelter in case of storm.  He searched for a considerable distance around, but was unable to find even a shelving rock, beneath which he might creep and gather himself up if one of those terrific tempests peculiar to this region should happen to strike him.  Nor did there seem to be any suitable refuge if the Apaches should attack him before he could retreat.

He might crouch down behind some of the boulders and rocks, but the make-up of the surface around him was so similar that three red skins could surround him with perfect ease and without any danger to themselves.  Fred therefore made up his mind that he was in about as uncomfortable a situation as a fugitive could well be.

CHAPTER XXIV.

NIGHT VISITORS.

As young Munson expected to remain where he was for the rest of the day, and perhaps through the succeeding night, and knew that he was in great danger, he made it his business to acquaint himself thoroughly with his position and with all the approaches thereto.  The first natural supposition was that the Apaches, in following the fugitives to the spot, would, from the force of circumstances, keep to the trail, that being their only guide.

This trail, for the last two hundred yards, led up a slope to where he was stationed upon what might have been called a landing in the ascent of the mountain.  At the bottom of this two hundred yards or so was an irregular plateau, beyond which the trail was lost.

“If the Apaches should show themselves before dark,” he concluded, as he looked over the ground, “there is where they will be seen, and that’s the spot I must watch so long as I can see it.”

Fred was able to hide himself from view for the time being, but there was no way in which he could conceal the horse.  He was sure to be the first object that would attract the eye of the redskins from below, revealing to them the precise position of the fugitives.  This reflection disturbed the lad a good deal, until he succeeded in convincing himself that, after all, it was fortunate that it was so.

The redskins, detecting the mustang among the rocks, would believe that the three whites were there on the defensive.  No matter if their force were a half dozen times as great, they would make the attack with a great deal of caution, and would probably manoeuvre around until dark, in the expectation of a desperate fight—­all of which Fred hoped would give him a good chance of stealing out and escaping them.