At length it struck him that the silence was unusually deep.  Rising to his feet he moved about.  There was no challenge; and by way of further experiment, he kicked his tin plate so that it rattled.  Still nobody called to him, though the horse made a little noise in moving.  George sat down and took off his boots while his heart throbbed painfully.  It looked as if his guards had gone to sleep.  He moved a few yards, stopped to listen, and went on for several paces more.  There was no sound yet beyond the partition, and he crept softly past the horse; he longed to lead it out, but decided that the risk would be too great.

Then he stood in the gap between the wall and the partition, straining eyes and ears, and wondering where the rifle lay.  He could see nothing, however; and, creeping on cautiously, with tingling nerves and an intolerable feeling of suspense, he drew level with the doorway.  It was hard to refrain from leaping out, but this might make some noise.  Crossing the threshold with careful movements, he made for the spot where he had cut the wood.  He struck something that rattled, but he found the ax and the feel of it sent a thrill through him.  It was light enough to be carried easily; and he did not mean to be recaptured.

For some minutes he moved straight on, hurting his feet on the stronger grass stalks; and then, sitting down, he hastily put on his boots.  After that he broke into a steady run, which he meant to keep up as long as possible.  He was now anxious that the threatened storm should not break, because if the rustlers had gone to sleep, the longer they remained so the better.  He failed to understand how he had escaped; perhaps his guards had been lulled into false security by his tranquil demeanor; perhaps they had trusted to each other; or one, rendered listless by the tension in the air, had relaxed his watchfulness for a few moments.  This, however, did not matter.  George was free; and he only wished that he had some idea as to where he was heading.  He wanted to place a long distance between him and the stable by morning.

Dripping with perspiration, breathing hard, he kept up a steady pace for, so he thought, an hour, after which he walked a mile or two, and then broke into a run again.  The grass was short; he struck no brush, and the ax did not encumber him.  He imagined that dawn must be getting near when a dazzling flash swept the prairie and there was a long reverberatory rumbling overhead.  He was almost blinded and bewildered, doubly uncertain where he was going; and then a great stream of white fire fell from the zenith.  The thunder that followed was deafening, and for the next few minutes blaze succeeded blaze, and there was a constant crashing and rumbling overhead.  After that came a rush of chilly wind and the air was filled with falling water.