"Surely," he reasoned, "these would not be the men my father would send out from Hurley's Gulch to find me."
Instinctively he felt that the presence of these men meant him no good, and he made up his mind not to place himself in their power till assured that they were friendly.
The two horsemen with Frank Shirley and Badger were the landlord of the hotel at Hurley's, and a wretched creature of the same stripe who had been a partner and friend of Tom Edwards.
"Halloo! Halloo, Sam Willett! We've come out to find you!" called out Shirley when he came within hearing distance.
"Who sent you?" was Sam's salutation.
"Your father."
"How did he know I was here?"
"Ulna told him."
"Then why didn't he or Hank Tims come?"
"There are good reasons why they could not get off, so we have come in their stead. Get down from the rocks; we've been searching for you since before daylight," said Shirley, as he and Badger dismounted from their horses not a hundred feet away.