The expression of general interest convinced him that no one could be heard with greater pleasure.
“Last night, after passin’ out the door, a quar idea got into my head. Instead of startin’ on a run to get back to you folks, I stooped down and passed my hands over the ground all round the door. And what do you s’pose I found? Why, thar war the prints of several horses goin’ in, but thar warn’t a single one comin’ out!”
He paused a moment for this astounding announcement to produce its effect. Strubell was the first to catch its full meaning.
“Are you sure of that?” he asked.
“As sure as I’m sittin’ here this minute. What does it mean, tharfore and consequently? Why, that that younker came in with Bell and Harman, but that he haint gone out, which the same means that he’s inside of this buildin’ and aint fifty feet off this very minute, and if thar’s anyone here that don’t b’lieve me, all he’s got to do is to look through that door yonder and tell me whether he don’t see the grinnin’ younker standin’ thar this very minute.”
It so happened that as Eph sat he faced the opening of the little room, and, since every eye was fixed on him, their backs were turned in the other direction. All wheeled like a flash and saw Nick Ribsam in the act of entering the apartment, his honest face expanded into one broad smile, while his hand was extended to greet his old acquaintances.
Herbert Watrous stared with open mouth, unable to believe it was not a dream, until his hand was clasped by that of the best friend he had, outside of his own folks, in the world. Then he saw that it was reality, and greeted the good fellow with a delight which touched even the hearts of Bell Rickard and Harman Slidham.
Enough has been hinted about Nick Ribsam to give the reader a general idea of his experience from the night he was made prisoner by the horse thieves and carried westward into New Mexico. Herbert was correct in his surmise as to why he made no effort to escape while on the long journey. With no firearms at command, with no knowledge of where his friends were, and believing that his captors were only manœuvring for a ransom, he would have disproved all faith in his good sense had he seized any one of the several occasions for parting company with those whom he despised.
He had no suspicion of the business which brought Eph Bozeman to the building, else he would not have played the little deception he did on his captors; but when requested to betake himself to some other part of the structure during the interview, he obeyed, passing into the room which adjoined the one where the ponies had been placed.