He alighted and picked up a painted
feather.
"It's simple now," he said. "We've been followin' the trail of Indians.
They wouldn't be in this part of the country, 'less they were helpin'
the Mexicans, an' I guess they were at Goliad, leavin' after the
business there was finished."
"You're right, Deaf," said Karnes. "That 'counts for the unshod hoofs.
It ain't worth while for us to follow them any longer, so I guess we'd
better turn back to the timber."
Safety obviously demanded this course, and soon they were again in the
forest, riding near the San Antonio and down its stream. They struck the
trail of a bear, then they roused up a deer in the thickets, but big
game had no attraction for them now, and they went on, leaving bear and
deer in peace. Then the sharp eyes of the Panther saw the print of a
human foot on the river bank. He soon saw three or four more such traces
leading into the forest, where the trail was lost.
The five gathered around the imprints in the earth, and debated their
meaning. It was evident even to Will Allen that some one without a horse
had swum the river at that point and had climbed up the bank. They could
see the traces lower down, where he had emerged from the water.
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