It was the man at whom Carl had fired his six harmless bullets—the man with the silver face.
Bud stood staring at him like one frozen, but Stella, when she saw that Bud was as frightened as herself, was able to take her eyes away from those terrible orbs that shone through the silver face, and regained her composure, and now was able to look at him without terror and with curiosity.
There was something fascinating in that blank, rounded, shining, white face, lighted only by those remarkable eyes.
What was behind that mask? A face, or only a blank?
Bud had somewhat recovered from the ague of terror into which the sudden appearance of the man with the silver face had thrown him, for he was a brave fellow, and not easily shaken from his courage.
"What do you want?" he asked at last, but yet with a little tremor in his voice.
There was no answer, but the eyes continued to burn in a very suggestive way. It seemed as if the man behind the mask was trying to speak, but could not.
Presently, however, he made a motion with his hand that told them to follow him.
"I'll be derned if we do," said Bud stubbornly. "Who aire yer, anyway, an' what business hey yer buttin' in on us this away?"
A strange, inarticulate, bubbling sound came from behind the silver face, but Bud could not understand it.