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 towalk 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 
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