Dot was gazing fixedly at him, a wistful light in her eyes that her heavy lashes concealed.
“Are you sure of that—that Quintell is at the bottom of this thing?” asked Lex, watching the other narrowly.
“Positive. All that talk about Huntington hiding me out was a bluff. They framed it so’s to git hold of him. I’m mighty glad Warburton’s in the country.”
Sangerly smiled. “I also want to thank you for what you’ve done for us, Billy Gee.” He added: “And for leaving our trains alone.”
“A man’ll do a thing right along, Mr. Sangerly, an’ his own mother won’t be able to change him. Then he jest nacherly changes.” He said this soberly, throwing a glance at the distant horsemen as he spoke.
They had begun to ride forward again slowly, in open formation, scattering to the flanks as they came, in a wide enveloping movement calculated to get the bandit in a crossfire that would make his escape impossible.
Dot noted the maneuver and looked at Billy Gee, mute entreaty in her eyes. He met her gaze and laughed easily.
“You an’ Mr. Sangerly better wait till they start chasin’ me, then go on into camp an’ arrange to quit the ranch. ’Tain’t safe to live there,” he said, as he gathered up the reins. “Quintell aims to drive you out of the deestrict, but he won’t. An’ say, Sangerly! I wisht you’d visit him to-night. How about eight o’clock? I want you to hear somepn for yoreself. There’s stick-up men who don’t use a gun like yours truly. Good-by, Dot! I want powerful much to have a long chat with you, some day. Did you see where Jerome Liggs struck it rich?” With a glance at Lex, he smiled at Dot, swept off his hat and went galloping away.
Wild yells broke from the advancing vigilantes. Their revolvers began to roar, and with quirt and spur they quickened their speed in pursuit of their quarry. Sangerly and Dot crouched down behind the roadster to avoid the hail of bullets that now screamed around them. Presently the cavalcade swept by, leaving a cloud of dust behind them, hanging motionless on the still morning air. Lashing their animals madly, they tore away across the plains, bending every energy to apprehend and vent their vengeance on the man who single-handed had frustrated their sinister plans.
It was now quite light, the eastern horizon glowing red and orange with the first shafts of the invisible sun.