But if you'll look again, Paul, you'll see that a new danger threatens our king of horses." Paul followed Henry's gaze, and he distinctly saw two or three human figures at the edge of the wood.

These figures were hidden from the horses by a swell of the prairies, and, as in the case of the cougar, the wind blew their odor away.

"Indians ?" asked Paul.
"I can't tell at this distance," replied Henry, "but it's more likely that they belong to the party of Alvarez, and perhaps they know that wild horses frequent this prairie and others hereabouts.

See what they are doing!" Paul saw well enough, One man carrying on his arm a coll of rope, the lariat of Mexico, lay down in the long grass which completely hid him, but both Henry and Paul knew that he was creeping forward inch by inch toward the beautiful stallion that was grazing not ten yards from the woods.
"When he comes close enough, if he can do so before the horse takes the alarm," said Henry, "he will throw the rope and catch the horse by the neck in the running noose at the end." "But the horse will take alarm," said Paul hopefully.
"I don't know," said Henry.

"He may think in his horse mind that one enemy in one day is as much as he has need to dread." It seemed that Henry was right.