Then ponies were led to the place of the camp
fire and the members of the band quickly threw themselves on their
animals and disappeared into the night.
Almost paralyzed with the knowledge of what this meant Alan now
softly put his hand on Ned's face:
"Are you awake?" came instantly from Ned.
"Are you?" retorted Alan in surprise.
"Yes," whispered Ned, "I saw it all. But I didn't move, because I
was afraid of arousing you."
"Here, too," exclaimed Alan. "Did you feel them take your
revolver?"
Ned's band flew to his belt.
"Is yours gone too? I saw them when they came up from the fire.
But you did right to keep still. If we had moved I expect we'd have
had our throats cut."
"That was one of them I saw to-day," added Alan, "and I guess we're
lucky to be alive."
"Yes," added Ned rising to his feet, "we are. They are satisfied, I
suppose, to let us starve."
The prospect was a trying one. If the range behind them was the one
they hoped it was, there was only one more valley between its summit
and the outer ridge of the Tunit Chas. If they could reach this
ridge they believed they might see Mount Wilson's peak.
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