A third of the way up the slope, and they reached one of the clumps of cedars, into which they crawled.  Although a glittering network of silver it was a cold covert, but they lay on the ice there and watched for Slade’s next shot.  They heard it a minute later, and then saw him behind a pine about five hundred yards away.  After sending his bullet into the valley he had withdrawn a little and was slipping another cartridge into the fine breech-loading rifle that he carried, the most modern and highly improved weapon then used, as Warner could clearly see.

“Would you let me take a look at him through your glasses?” asked Reed.

“Certainly,” replied Warner, handing them to him.

“Jest as I thought,” said Reed, as he took a long look.  “He’s done gone plum’ mad with the wish to kill.  It strikes them evil-minded critters that way sometimes, an’ he’s had so much luck shootin’ down at us, an’ keepin’ a whole little army besieged that it’s mounted to his head.  Ef he had his way he’d jest wipe us all out.”

“A sanguinary and savage mind,” said Warner.  “It’s the spirit of the rattlesnake or the cobra, and we must exterminate him.  He’s moving further along the ridge, and he’s exactly between us and that clump of cedars, higher up and about three hundred yards away.  If we could make those cedars we would bring him within range.  It’s a pretty steep climb, but I want to try it.”

“We kin do it shore by stabbin’ our bayonets into the ice and hangin’ on to ’em ez we edge up,” said Reed optimistically.  “The clump itself will help hide us, an’ Slade ain’t likely to look this way.  Ez I told you he hez gone plum’ mad with the blood fever, an’ he ain’t got eyes for anythin’ except the soldiers in the valley what he wants to shoot.”

“Poison, nothing but poison,” said Warner.  “We must remove him as speedily as possible for the sake of the universe.  Come on!  I mean to lead.”

He emerged from the clump and took his way toward the second cluster, digging a heavy hunting knife into the ice whenever he felt that he was about to slip.  Reed was just behind him, breathing hard from the climb, and then came the whole detachment.  Warner felt a momentary shiver lest the guerrilla see them.  If he caught them on the steep ice between the two cedar clumps he could decimate them with ease.

But fortune was kind and they breathed mighty sighs of relief as they drew into the second network of silver, where they lay close watching for Slade, who had fired three times into the valley while they were on the way.

He had gone farther down the ridge, but they saw him partially as he kneeled for another shot.  If he moved again in the same direction after firing they would not be able to reach him, and Warner, Reed agreeing with him, decided that they must make the attempt to remove him now or never.  It was a hard target, not much of Slade’s body showing, but the entire party took aim and fired together at the leader’s word.