At last he slipped out of the bunkhouse, went up and said good-bye to his host and rode off in the direction of home. In all probability Jerry would not come home until late.
Bob made his way back toward the dam slowly, his mind too busy with the situation in which he found himself to pay much attention to the beauties of the landscape. Before he had gone many miles he was surprised to hear the sounds of galloping hoofs coming behind him. His first thought was that Jerry had changed his mind and was going to accompany him back to camp. But the noise was more than one horse could make, so he was prepared to see strangers ride past him. He turned in his saddle as the first horse came around the bend in the trail.
It was Jerry, closely followed by the men he had identified as Wesley and Harper! In a moment they caught up to him and stopped. But Jerry’s first words were more surprising than his sudden appearance.
“What’d you sneak off for like that?” he said sneeringly. “Going back to tell the boss you caught me gambling?”
Jerry’s two companions had reined up also and were waiting for the answer. Bob quickly saw the object of this maneuver. After he had gone one of them had suspected that his being at the ranch with Jerry was not just an innocent visit. Probably they had struck on what was really the truth of the matter—that Bob was suspicious in a general way of Jerry and had taken a chance that he might learn something definite if he came out and spent a day with him. Evidently Jerry had not been able to make Wesley and Harper believe that Bob’s suspicions had been quieted and they had insisted on following him on the pretext of shutting him up about the poker business. This was to be used only as a cloak under which to threaten him against telling anyone of any suspicions he might have. They hoped in this way to frighten him into silence.
But Bob would not be frightened. He realized that the time had come when there could be no more fighting under cover. Throwing his head up and looking Jerry in the eyes he said quietly,
“You know that I won’t tell Whitney about your poker playing. What I am going to tell him is that you’re a traitor to the Service.”
Jerry quailed before the thrust. “What—what do you mean?” he stammered.
“Yes, what do you mean?” said one of the men threateningly.
“I mean that you and the cattlemen are planning to interfere and delay the work of the Service! For the cattlemen it is only a crime. But for you to help them, is treachery!”