If we attack at night they will soon find
out how few are our numbers, and having no particular dread of our
weapons, may rush at us, and overpower us in spite of them. Another
thing, boys, is, I want to give them a lesson. They must know that
they shan't come and murder and steal on our place with impunity."
Scarcely another word was exchanged for the next hour. At a long,
steady gallop they swept along. There was no difficulty in
following the track, for the long grass was trampled in a wide
swath. Several times, too, exclamations of rage burst from the boys
as they came across a dead sheep, evidently speared by the savages
because he could not keep up with the others. After passing several
of them, Mr. Hardy called to the boys to halt, while he leaped off
his horse by the side of one of the sheep, and put his hand against
its body and into its mouth.
"It's quite dead; isn't it, papa?" Hubert said.
"Quite, Hubert; I never thought it was alive." And Mr. Hardy leaped
upon his horse again. "I wanted to see how warm the body was. If we
try again an hour's ride ahead, we shall be able to judge, by the
increased heat of the body, as to how much we have gained on the
Indians, and whether they are far ahead. You see, boys, when I was
young man, I was out many times in Texas against the Comanches and
Apaches, who are a very different enemy from these cowardly Indians
here.
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