This was reassuring, because the odds against him were heavy enough, knowing, as he did, that the Indian's sense of hearing is remarkably keen.
Making certain that his magazine pistol was loose, he motioned to his guide and they moved cautiously forward.

The ground was fortunately clear, and their footsteps made little noise, though now and then tufts of dry grass which Harding trod upon rustled with what seemed to him alarming distinctness.

Still, nobody challenged them, and creeping up to the center of the village they stopped again.

The nearest of the tepees was only thirty or forty yards away, though others ran back into the mist.

As Harding stood listening, with tingling nerves, he clearly recognized the difficulty of his enterprise.