two o'clock
before
However , as he might be anywhere from ten yards to ten miles from the exact line Manuelito traveled , this gave him no concern . He decided that he would push on until he came upon the cavalry trail up which he had ridden a year before on an expedition with their good guide Sieber to Chevelon Fork . By this time , too , he knew that he must be twelve miles from camp , and that in all probability the Indians had left their position west of Snow Lake , and were already coming in pursuit . He dreaded to think of the peril in which his children might be ; but he had every confidence in Pike ; he believed in Jim 's pluck and fighting qualities , and he reasoned that it would be one or two o'clock before the Indians could possibly reach the Pass , and that he could easily get back long before that time . Riding , therefore , still further to the south , he pursued his search for an hour longer , and then came suddenly upon a sight that thrilled his heart with hope and joy . Right before him , coming across the southern edge of the plateau , and winding up the mountains to the left , was an unmistakable cavalry trail , not more than a day or two old . Evidently some troop was out from Verde and had taken the old short cut to Chevelon Fork , expecting by that route to make the quickest time to the Sunset crossing of the Colorado River .