A "Thousand- Mile Walk 



doubtedly had seen me before I discovered 

 them, for they had stopped their horses and 

 were evidently watching me. I saw at once that 

 it was useless to attempt to avoid them, for 

 the ground thereabout was quite open. I knew 

 that there was nothing for it but to face them 

 fearlessly, without showing the slightest sus- 

 picion of foul play. Therefore, without halting 

 even for a moment, I advanced rapidly with 

 long strides as though I intended to walk through 

 the midst of them. When I got within a rod or 

 so I looked up in their faces and smilingly bade 

 them "Howdy." Stopping never an instant, I 

 turned to one side and walked around them to 

 get on the road again, and kept on without ven- 

 turing to look back or to betray the slightest 

 fear of being robbed. 



After I had gone about one hundred or one 

 hundred and fifty yards, I ventured a quick 

 glance back, without stopping, and saw in this 

 flash of an eye that all the ten had turned their 

 horses toward me and were evidently talking 

 about me; supposedly, with reference to what 



[28] 



