"Oh, splendid!" exclaimed the girl, all her suspicions disarmed. "Frank will be so glad! We thought, perhaps, you might be his enemy; that"s why we were afraid of you."
Macklyn Morgan forced a laugh, which he tried to make very pleasant and rea.s.suring.
"You see how wrong you were," he said. "You see now that it"s a mistake to try to deceive me. It"s best to tell me the truth and nothing else.
This story about living on a ranch--how about it?"
"Oh, Abe told you that when he thought you must be Frank"s enemy," said Felicia.
"Then it wasn"t quite true?"
"No, no."
"And you were not on your way to Flagstaff to meet d.i.c.k Merriwell there?"
"No; we left Prescott in company with d.i.c.k and some friends, who were on their way to join Frank."
Felicia hastened on and told the entire story.
Abe listened in doubt as to the wisdom of this, shaking his head a little, but remaining silent.
"Now we"re getting at the facts," smiled Morgan, as the fire was started and its light fell on his face. "It"s much better for us all."
He had a.s.sumed a free, benevolent, kindly expression, and to the girl it seemed that he could not be deceiving them. Morgan continued to question her until at length he learned everything he desired.
"Now, my child," he said, "just you rest easy. We will soon join Frank Merriwell, and, of course, this brother of his with his friends will arrive all right in due time."
Morgan then stepped over to where one of the sleeping men lay and aroused him.
"Wake up, Hackett," he said, in a low tone. "Something mighty important has taken place."
He then told the man what had happened, and Hackett listened attentively.
"It seems to me," he said, "that these yere kids are going to be an inc.u.mbrance on us."
"That"s where you"re wrong," a.s.serted Morgan. "With the aid of these children we ought to be able to bring Frank Merriwell to some sort of terms."
"I don"t see how, sir."
"Why, it"s plain he thinks a lot of this girl. We have her. If that doesn"t trouble him some, I am greatly mistaken."
"Mebbe you"re right," nodded Hackett. "I reckon I begin to see your little game, Mr. Morgan. Let me look these yere kids over some."
He arose and proceeded to the fire, in company with Morgan, who cautioned him, however, to say little to the boy and girl, fearing Hackett might make some observation that would betray the truth.
"She"s some pretty, sir," said Gad, admiring Felicia; "though she"s nothing but a kid. I reckon she makes a stunner when she gits older."
"Hush!" said Morgan. "That"s nothing to you."
"Oh, I has an eye for female beauty!" grinned Hackett. "It"s nateral with me."
Suddenly, to their surprise, without the least warning, a man seemed to rise from the ground a short distance away and walk straight toward the fire. Hackett had his pistol out in a twinkling, but he stood with mouth agape as he saw the newcomer was an old Indian, about whose shoulders a dirty red blanket was draped. It was Felicia, however, who was the most surprised, and a cry left her lips, for she recognized old Joe Crowfoot.
Even as she uttered that cry the eyes of the old redskin shot her a warning look that somehow silenced her. Without giving Hackett as much as a glance, old Joe walked up to the fire, before which he squatted, extending his hands to its warmth.
"Well, dern me, if that don"t beat the deck!" growled Hackett. "These yere red wards of the government are a-getting so they makes theirselves to home anywhere. And you never knows when they"re around. Now, this yere one he pops right out o" the ground like."
Then he turned savagely on Joe.
"What are you prowling around yere for, you old vagrant?" he demanded threateningly. "Who are you?"
Crowfoot rolled his little beady eyes up at the man.
"Heap flying bird," he answered. "Go through air; go everywhere. Go through ground. White man did him see red snake with horse"s head? Injun ride on red snake like the wind."
"What"s this jargon?" muttered Morgan.
"Hark!" warned the Indian, lifting a hand. "You hear the flying lizard sing? See that big one up there. See um great green eyes."
Then he stared straight upward, as if beholding something in the air.
Involuntarily both men looked upward, but they saw nothing above them save the stars of the sky.
Felicia, who knew old Joe very well, was more than astonished by his singular manner and remarkable words. Her first impulse had been to spring up and greet him joyously, but the look from his black eyes had stopped her. Now, as if she were a total stranger to him, he gave her no attention. Suddenly he thumped himself on the breast with his clinched fist.
"Injun him all iron!" he declared. "Him like pale-face iron horse. When sun he comes up again Injun he go on white man"s iron track. He blow smoke and fire and shriek same as iron horse."
"Well, bat me, if the old whelp ain"t daffy!" exclaimed Hackett. "He"s plumb off his nut, sure as shooting."
"When Injun him lay down to sleep," said Crowfoot, "many stars come and jump like antelope over him. No let him sleep. Him try to scare um away, but star no scare. Bimeby Injun he get sick. He get up and run away.
Then star chase um Injun."
"You"re right, Hackett," said Morgan, "He"s loony, for a fact."
At this point one of the guards came walking up to the fire. The moment his eyes fell on Crowfoot he uttered a shout that instantly aroused every one of the sleeping men.
"By the great horn toads!" he exploded savagely; "that"s the old skunk what drugged the whole bunch of us when Pete Curry nabbed us! Whatever is he doing here?"
Without even looking up, Crowfoot began to chant a strange, doleful song in his own language.
"The boys will certain salivate him," a.s.serted the guard, as the men were rising and approaching the fire.
Old Joe apparently heard nothing and saw nothing. That singular chant continued.
"He is dead loony," said Hackett.
"Then mebbe he"s been taking some of his own dope," growled the guard.
"The boys will knock some o" his looniness out o" him, you bet!"
As the men gathered around, a number of them recognized the aged redskin, and immediately there was a great commotion. Several drew their weapons, and it seemed that Joe would be murdered on the spot. With a scream of terror, Felicia flung herself before the old man, to whom she clung.