"You'll be going back to nurse rattlesnakes yet!" almost exploded the cook.
"That's all right, but we're going to find that wounded man if he's in need of help," Tom stoutly maintained.
He called Jim Ferrers, who roused five more men. Then the party returned to the place on the trail where Eb had been left. There were still blood spots on the ground, but Eb had vanished. The party spent some minutes in searching the vicinity, then concluded that Gage had rescued and carried away the wounded man.
It may be said, in passing, that Eb was subsequently found, by officers, lying in a shack not far from Dugout City. The fellow was nearly dead, when found, from careless handling of his wound. At Dugout the surgeons amputated his wounded leg, and Eb finally wound up in prison.
During all the excitement Hazelton had not been aroused. He knew nothing of what had happened until morning came.
Before Tom Reade turned in that night he shook hands with the sullen cook.
"I think you and I are going to be good friends, after this, Leon,"
Tom smiled. "I hope so, anyway."
"And I'm glad you gave me back my gun," grunted Leon. "It gave me a chance to do something for you. Yes; I reckon we'll be good friends after this."