Easy, boy, and go soft!" The stallion cut his gallop into a slinking trot, his head lowered, even his ears flat back, and glided up the hillside.

Barry swung to the ground and crawled to the top of the hill.

What he saw was a dozen mounted men swinging down into the low, broad scoop of ground beyond the hill.

They raced with their hatbrims standing stiff up in the wind.
"They've been watchin' us with glasses!" whispered Dan to Bart, and the wolf-dog snarled savagely, his neck-fur ruffling up.
The dozen directly in front were not all, for to the right, bearing straight across his original course, came another group almost as strong, and to the left eight more riders spurred at top speed.
"We almost walked into 'em," said Barry, "but they ain't got us yet.
Back, boy!" The wolf dog slunk down the hill until it was out of sight from the farther side of the slope, and the master imitated these tactics until he was close to Satan.

Once in the saddle he made up his mind quickly.
Someone in Rickett had guessed his intention to double back toward Tucker Creek, and they had cut him off cleverly enough and in overwhelming force.