But she did not hit him, apparently—even if such had been her intention—for he kept straight on and vanished in an instant in the dark woods at the edge of the clearing.
“Gee whiz!” exclaimed Sam Hartley, hastening forward. “What’s the meaning of this drama?”
The words had hardly left his lips, before the woman who had put the Chinaman to such precipitate flight espied the approach of the newcomers.
They were about to hail her when, to their amazement, she raised her rifle to her shoulder once more. This time it was most unmistakably trained upon them and the good-looking face behind the sights bore an expression that seemed to say as plain as print:
“Don’t come any nearer if you want to avoid trouble.”
CHAPTER XIII.
A NOTE OF WARNING.
A comical expression came over Sam Hartley’s face. He saw at once that the woman mistook them for enemies—possibly allies of the Chinaman whom, for some good reason apparently, she had just chased off the place.
“Hold on there, madam,” he cried, “we’re not here on any harm. The lads have a message to you from your husband.”
“Yes, our names are Dacre——”
“For gracious sakes, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” demanded the woman, putting down her rifle and smiling pleasantly.