A hundred yards in advance of him the gully led out onto the open prairie. Soon Joseph emerged; his appearance was greeted by a yell of rage, and two bullets which whistled past his ears. Glancing behind him the young volunteer saw the Indian, whose horse had been shot, struggling to reload his gun, while the one that was mounted on the spotted pony was speeding forward in hot pursuit.
Joseph bent low over the neck of his horse and urged the animal to do its best. He had one bullet in his rifle and this he decided to use only when he could be reasonably sure of hitting his mark. Behind him he heard the war whoop of the pursuing redman, and this time Joseph knew that he was engaged in a race for life, such as he had never had before. The opportunities were more equal this time, but the Indian being behind had whatever advantage there was. “His life or mine,” decided Joseph.
How long could his horse hold out? That was the question that most of all troubled the young pioneer. He realized how far and how fast his mount had already traveled that day, and grave fears for the animal’s endurance beset Joseph’s mind.
Once more he glanced behind him. The Indian was gaining rapidly upon him. The spotted pony was evidently very fleet and the distance between the two racers was rapidly diminishing. Joseph’s heart sank at the sight. He was tempted to turn and fire at his pursuer now. Nearly a hundred yards still separated them, however, and Joseph knew only too well that any chance of success at that distance was very slight. Dangerous as it was he decided to save his ammunition and run the risk of still being alive when a better opportunity should present itself.
On they sped, the horses’ hoofs beating a sharp tattoo on the hard ground of the sunbaked prairie. The brush seemed to interfere with his horse’s progress while the spotted pony which his pursuer rode ran easily and apparently was unhampered by any obstructions. “What a pony that is,” thought Joseph. “If we could only trade mounts he’d never catch me. I could laugh at him and simply run away as I pleased.”
A quick look about him showed Joseph that now scarcely more than fifty yards was between him and his enemy. “Why doesn’t he shoot?” exclaimed the young volunteer out loud. “If he’d only fire and miss me I could stop and shoot him down before he has a chance to reload.”