As the fellow gradually sneaked nearer to me, it seemed that I recognized him. And, very certainly, when he was within the light of the camp-fires, I did so. It was one of the party of agreeable gentlemen whom our captain had hospitably permitted to travel with us. The scoundrel had been tampering with the fastenings of our horses, preparatory to stealing them.
Never shall I forget Captain Crim's look of unutterable horror at the fellow, when I woke him up in his tent, with my prisoner. The indignation which he had exhibited on poor Dave Horner's third detection in whiskey-stealing, was nothing to it.
"A darned horse-thief! Who'd ever have thought it!"
"I assure you, Captain—"
"Hold your tongue, you infernal rascal, or, by Heaven! I'll make short work of you and your companions."
"Let me explain, my dear sir!" he whined.
"Have them all turned out, Mose!" thundered Crim. "They are lucky to have me to deal with them. Any one else would have hanged the whole lot."
By this time, the whole camp was alive, more especially our forty-eight hour acquaintances. These disowned the culprit, as a stranger who had but recently joined them. Their defence was, however, too thin; and as the ominous murmur arose around them that—
"Lynching would be the shortest and best settlement of the matter"—
It was concluded by them, it would be wisest to obey. This, the more especially, as I had collected some dozen of my immediate friends, who stood ominously close to me, with rifles in hand, and six-shooters very palpably visible.