“Yes, but that ain’t all. It was a fixed trail to make the finder reckon that Jim had made it hisself so we could foller him. I swallered the bait an’ the hook an’ the line too. I fust found whar thar’d been a scrimmage, an’ I found Jim’s heel marks right thar. Then they disappeared jest as if he’d gone up into the air. He’d been boosted to the back of a hoss. Ye never seen no hoss track so a-mighty plain. Well, I follered right on. Jim wouldn’t have made that mistake. He’d jest kinder sneaked. Then I got mine.”
“How far into the hills did you get?” interrupted the rancher.
“’bout half a mile. Wal, as I was sayin’, all of a sudden I heard somethin’ like someone had stepped on a stick back of some juniper bushes. I didn’t like thet sound; I knowed thar was a gun behind it, so I jest naturally got ready for trouble, but trouble got me first. The feller shot, an’ I shot. The only difference was thet he had a plain mark to shoot at an’ I didn’t. He hit me in the arm, an’ then I shot thet Juniper bush so full of holes that it won’t make no shade till next summer.”
“Did—did you hit him?” questioned Emma eagerly.
“I hit somethin’ that grunted, but the grunter got away from me. I stalked him fer two hour, but couldn’t even find his tracks, though I did find some blood thar, an’ if he’d a looked he’d found a heap sight more blood whar I was. If thet feller hit what he shot at thar’s only one man in this heah neck of the world thet could do it, an’ he’s the feller I’m lookin’ fer. When I find him, one or t’other of us’ll go down an’ stay down. Thet’s shore,” threatened Sam grimly.
“I don’t understand how Jim could have been caught in broad daylight,” wondered Tom.
“Thar’s only one way, onless they shot him, which I don’t reckon they did, jedging from the look of the trail. Folks, they roped him jest like they’d rope an old maverick steer. I reckon mebby that’s what happened to Stacy.”
“Yes. But why, why?”
“Ye kin search me. I’ll be all right after I gits a few hours’ sleep an’ some chuck; then I’m goin’ to hit the trail agin, and I’ll bet ye this trail won’t be loaded. Leastwise, I’ll dodge the loaded places.”
“Samuel, you will not be hitting any trail just yet,” admonished Miss Briggs. “I think you had better stop talking now. Your broth will be ready in a few moments, after which you are going to sleep.” Elfreda motioned to the others to leave, which they did, and half an hour later Sam was sleeping soundly. Elfreda thereupon went out to the front porch where Bindloss, Tom and the others of the Overland party were awaiting her.