As they drew near to the fires they saw the sentinels some distance back of them, and entirely in the shadow, pacing up and down, musket on shoulder.

The four were now near enough to have been seen had they been standing erect, but they lay very close to the earth, while they conferred a moment or two.
"There's a patch of bushes between those two sentinels," whispered the Ring Tailed Panther, "an' I think we'd better creep by in its shelter.
If either of the sentinels should look suspicious every one of us must lay flat an' hold his breath.

We could handle the sentinels, but what we want to do is to get into San Antonio." They continued their slow and tiresome creeping.

Only once did they stop, and then it was because one of the sentinels paused in his walk and took his musket from his shoulder.

But it was only to light a cigarette and, relieved, they crept on until they were well beyond the fires, and within the ring of sentinels.