Breakfast over—and we ate it in a hurry, everyone being obliged to cook his bacon on a forked stick over the coals—there was nothing left for us to do but get under way. According to Bill’s order, I picked up my saddle and followed him through the woods to the prairie, and there I found my horse tied up to a brush. I was glad to see him again, and when I got on him he was all ready for a race. During the whole of that day we travelled without scarcely exchanging a word, but I noticed that at the top of every swell the outlaws stopped and carefully examined the ground before them. But no one was in sight, and finally, just as the sun was setting, we came within sight of Bob’s ranch. There was no one about it, not even a steer or a horse. I saw that Bill carried my weapons about with him, and I thought that now was his time to hand them to me, but Bill had different ideas in his own mind.
“Appearances are often deceptive,” said he. “Carlos, suppose you ride on and see if there is anybody about that house. If you don’t find anybody, wave your hat to us.”
“Anybody can see that he has a fine chance for escape,” snarled Henderson, who was as mad now as he had been the night before. “I wish I had your power!”
“What would you do with it?” asked Coyote Bill.
“I would let him feel one of the bullets in my pistol,” said Henderson. “You won’t get anything out of that ranch as long as you let him escape. He heard every word you said last night.”
“Did you, Carlos?”
“Yes, sir; I did,” said I. I thought I might as well tell the truth as tell a lie. My heart was in my mouth, but I looked Bill squarely in the eye.
“Well, I want to know if you are going to tell it?”
“If you tell me not to, I shan’t. I won’t say anything about it while you are around. I shall go for the States as soon as I can get there, and Tom will go with me.”
“That will suit me exactly. I am satisfied. Now, go on and see if you can find anything around that ranch.”