“Look here, Long Jim, or whatever your name is,” she protested, “you just call your crowd off and stop this. Undo those two deputies. A joke’s a joke, but this has gone far enough. If you don’t untie them, I will. Take your choice and get a move on.”
Long Jim scratched his chin for a moment.
“Waal,” he said, “I guess that what the lady says goes. We ain’t often favoured with ladies’ society, boys, and I guess when we are we’d better do as we are told. Turn ’em loose, boys.”
They abandoned the sport a little reluctantly. Suddenly they all paused to listen. The sound of a horse’s slow footfall was heard close at hand. Presently Quest appeared out of the shadows, carrying Lenora in his arms. Laura rushed forward.
“Lenora!” she cried. “Is she hurt?”
Quest laid her tenderly upon the ground.
“We had a spill at the bridge,” he explained quickly. “I don’t know whether Craig loosened the supports. He got over all right, but it went down under Lenora, who was following, and I had to get her out of the river. Where’s the Professor?”
The Professor came ambling down from the tent where he had been lying. He stooped at once over Lenora’s still unconscious form.
“Dear me!” he exclaimed. “Dear me! Come, come!”
He passed his hand over her side and made a brief examination.