Dudley was safely through the close ring which the band of robbers had thrown around that small corner of the forest where his gauchos lay. He could hear the reports of their rifles well behind him now, for an occasional shot was fired so as to intimidate the besieged and keep them from moving till the dawn came, when Antonio Sarvisti promised himself and his men that a quick end would be made of the party. Yes, Dudley was through them, right in their rear, and on the outskirts of the clearing occupied by their horses.
"This fellow should carry me across to the estancia at a fast gallop," he said, as he inspected the horse he had chosen, looking critically at his legs, and helped in his examination by the few flickering rays which came from the dancing flames of the fire. "A good, strong horse, with not too much bone. The fellow to carry my weight fast and far. Now for a second, and then away. They all seem to have bridles on, so that I shall have nothing to wait for, for I don't want a saddle. Ah, this is a likely-looking animal!"
Even now, when escape seemed so certain, he would not allow his eagerness to be away, out of the clutches of the rascals, to cause him to make a hasty choice. Life and liberty, after all, might depend more on the animals he chose than on his own courage and discretion. He might be followed. The pursuit might be kept up right to the borders of Mr. Blunt's estancia; and even if that were not the case, the lives of his comrades depended entirely on the swiftness with which he could reach friends.
"This is the fellow for my second," he said with decision, passing slowly down the line till he came to a fine roan, a shapely animal, which turned its handsome head to look at the stranger, and, as if it recognized a friend in him, whinnied gently.
"Whoa! Silence, boy! Sleep, for you will not be wanted till morning."
A voice rang out in the stillness, causing Dudley to drop instantly on hands and knees and shelter behind the heels of the long line of picketed horses. A man was crossing the firelit clearing, a fellow dressed like a gaucho, but of darker color. He wore a handkerchief of brilliant color about his head, and a belt of the same material round his waist, a belt which protruded at one point, where a revolver was thrust under it.