“Who? The Pup? I seen nobody, an’ very little of him. I was sittin’ here peaceful-like, maybe dozin’ a bit, as boys will do, when all of a sudden I hears a yell, gets a free shower bath, an’ wakes up to see Teddy an’ Pop paddlin’ like a couple of crazy men. Then I hears some one say ‘The Pup,’ an’ I looks, but don’t see a soul. Now, I ask you: what happened?”
“Why, we saw Joe Marino!” Roy exclaimed excitedly. “And he was on the horse he stole from our corral! I spotted him first, and tipped off Teddy. We tried to make the shore, but the current was too swift. So I guess he’s plenty far by this time. What a break!”
“Yo’re sure it was him?” Bug Eye asked curiously.
“Positive!” Teddy declared. “I saw him as plain as I see you now. He was on our bronc, facing the river. Probably just watered the horse. Then, when he saw us he turned and beat it—disappeared like a shadow. Pop, you saw him, didn’t you?”
The old puncher nodded forcibly.
“Sure did,” he agreed. “But I was too blame busy to say anything. I had all I could do to try an’ keep this fool boat straight, an’ I didn’t make out so well at that. We’re a bunch of dubs, I reckon,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Well, if yo’re sure you saw him, why don’t you land an’ have a look?” Bug Eye inquired eagerly.
Teddy snorted.
“What for? Just to see the scenery? Marino is gone by now. We haven’t as much of a chance as a fish on a desert of finding him.”
“Let’s see! Ain’t that what some one said a while ago?” came from Bug Eye. “Seems to me I heard a voice say he would try fer the Border, an’ that this part of the country would see him no more,” and he looked quizzically at Pop.