“No; not an awful lot. We thought you were a rustler yourself.”
“Especially after that fake about your leg,” added Ned.
“Well, that was a fake—part of it, anyhow,” admitted the detective. “I did see the rustlers drive off the cattle and they fired at me. They didn’t hit me; but I saw a chance to pretend to be wounded so I could have a good excuse for staying around the place here. That’s what I did, and in that way I got evidence against the Parson. I intercepted some messages he sent to the rustlers, made copies of them and they’ll be used for evidence. He was the real head of the gang.”
“Whew!” exclaimed Ned. “And we thought he was so good!”
“I guess you thought I was sort of mean, didn’t you?” asked Hinkee Dee.
“Yes,” admitted Jerry.
“But I want to say it wasn’t me who changed horses on you that time,” went on the assistant foreman. “I saw the Parson do it, but I wasn’t going to squeal. I didn’t know what his game was but I see now. He wanted to discourage you.”
“Of course not,” Jerry agreed. “I guess he had his reasons for trying to get us away from here.”
“The very best!” laughed Henry Peck. “And now I think you’d better send word home. The main credit belongs to you boys, for if you hadn’t rescued the professor you’d never have known where the rustlers’ headquarters were. I doubt if I could have forced the Parson to tell.