“Let us rush up and knock them down, and pitch them over into the gully,” said Arthur.  “Follow me; I’ll get you out of this scrape.”

“We couldn’t gain any thing by a fight,” said Frank.  “Four boys are no match for five grown men.”

“I’d give Sleepy Sam if I could only see Dick and Bob poke their noses over some of these rocks around here,” said Archie.  “They will be after us, as soon as they find out that we are captured; and when they get their eyes on these ‘Greasers,’ as they call them, there’ll be fun.”

“But we don’t want to wait for them,” said Frank.  “We must escape to-night, if possible.  We can find our way home from here; but, if we stay with these villains two or three days longer, they will have taken us so far into the mountains, that we never can get out.  I propose that we wait until dark, and see what arrangements they intend to make for the night, before we determine upon our plans.  If they allow us to remain unbound, and leave only one sentinel to guard us, we’ll see what can be done.  In the meantime, I move that we all take a nap.”

The prisoners settled themselves comfortably on their blankets, and, in a few moments, three of them were sleeping soundly, all unconscious of the fact that their wide-awake companion was impatiently awaiting an opportunity to repeat to the robber chief every word of their recent conversation.

“Pierre said, that if any of us heard the others talking of escape, and didn’t tell him of it, he would pitch us over that precipice,” muttered Arthur.  “He looked straight at me when he said it; so I shall take him at his word, and put him on his guard against these fellows.  I’ll not go back on them—­O, no!  Johnny Harris didn’t call me a coward, did he?  And that little spindle-shanked Yankee, and his cousin, didn’t insult me, by sending me my hat and gun, and the skin of that wolf, and by telling every body in the settlement that I was frightened out of my senses, without seeing any thing to be frightened at, did they?  I’d like to catch that Archie Winters by himself.  He’s little, and I am sure that I could whip him.  I’ll pay them all for what they have done to me, and before I get through with them, they will learn, that it is always best to treat a gentleman with respect.”

As Arthur said this, he looked contemptuously at his slumbering companions, and then turned his back to them, and went to sleep.

CHAPTER XV.

More treachery.

When Frank awoke, it was nearly dark.  The glade was lighted up by a fire, that one of the Rancheros had kindled, and beside which he stood, superintending the cooking of the supper.  Archie and Johnny were still sleeping soundly, but Arthur Vane’s blanket was empty, and that young gentleman was nowhere to be seen.