AS IN THE OLDEN DAYS. 



"I guess this is about the 

 pot," thought Jack, slowly rais- 

 ing his head above the grass, so 

 as to get his bearings ; " if that 

 darkey had half the brains of an 

 injin, he would have tumbled 

 before this, but there ain't any- 

 thing decent in this country, 

 compared with ours." 



Jack ought not to have forgotten that the little enter- 

 prise on which he had started was not yet concluded. 



It was an easy matter for him to reach the edge of the Pjffi 

 grass without detection from any one. There he paused, j 

 with a space of perhaps a hundred yards between him and THK OUTLINES OP A MAN'S 

 the camp-fire that he had left some time before. Most ot HEAD AND SHOULDERS 

 this had been grown over with the grass that was cut ofl ROSE SLOWLY TO VIEW." 

 as a matter of precaution, and somewhere on this space, 



he was convinced, the native was crouching, with his baleful eyes fixed on the white, 

 man, who, he little dreamed, knew of his whereabouts. 



Jack found the intervening plain shrouded in more gloom than he had antici- 

 pated. Over most of it the unaided eye could not have detected any person unless 

 he stood on his feet, so as to be thrown into relief against the light of the camp fire, 



It may have been that Mr. Godkin, who could be plainly seen by the Texan* 

 suspected his embarrassment, for while the latter lingered on the edge of the open 

 space, he saw him rise to his feet, fling more wood on the fire, and stir it. 



" Good for him ! " muttered the pleased scout ; " he knows just what I want, 

 and he done it for me." 



The increased illumination, however, did not light up every portion of the little 

 plain, and the keen eyes of the Texan, roaming over the ground, failed to locate his 

 man. 



" I wonder if he's lost," thought Jack, " or has he smelt a mouse and dusted out 

 afore I could give him a boost. Ah " 



In the gloom between him and the camp, the outlines of a man's head and 

 shoulders rose slowly to view. 



Jack had located his fellow at last. 



" Yes, he's there," he chuckled, " and the band will begin to play mighty soon." 



The savage was crouching at a point about two-thirds of the way between the 

 scout and the fire. This showed he was moving forward and did not suspect the 

 meaning of the white man's movement. 



Jack felt a tinge of alarm as he realized that the savage was so near Mr. Godkin 

 that he could easily have launched a poisoned missile before the gentleman could 

 get out of range. 



Should he make the attempt, Jack was without his rifle to anticipate him ; but 



