noon before
It was indeed a blind chase , and yet the captain had trotted confidently back past the deserted wagon as though he really believed he could speedily overtake and recapture the stolen mules . Pike thought that the captain should stay with his children and let him go in pursuit or rather search , but every one who knew Gwynne knew how self-confident he was and how much higher he held his own opinion than that of anybody else . `` It is his confounded bull-headedness that has got us into this scrape , '' thought poor Pike , for the twentieth time , but the soldier in him came to the fore and demanded action -- action . Knowing the habits of the Apaches it was his hope that they would not follow in pursuit until broad daylight and that it would be noon before they could reach the Pass . By that time , with or without the mules , Captain Gwynne would certainly be back . Meanwhile his first duty seemed to be to get the provisions from the wagon up to the little fastness among the great bowlders where the children , guarded by poor , trembling but devoted Kate , were now placidly sleeping -- worn out with the fatigue of their jolting ride from Snow Lake . She kept Black Jim with a loaded rifle close by the side of the family wagon and prevented his falling asleep at his post , in genuine darkey fashion , by insisting on his talking with her in low tones .