“Better take him back to the camp, ma’am,” suggested Barney, “and if you’ve got a bit of rope handy, we can bind him before he comes to.”
“Bind him?” they repeated.
“Why certainly, ladies, didn’t he rob you of your car? Automobile thieves in this country ain’t tolerated any more than horse thieves.”
It was difficult to keep reminding themselves that this nice young man was a thief. But visions of Miss Helen’s fifty dollars persisted in floating before them, and it occurred to them furthermore that he might be one of the most daring criminals in the country, since he had made good his escape from Chicago in an aeroplane.
“Lift him in the car, then,” ordered Miss Campbell in a resigned tone of voice. “But it’s hard to believe.”
“Caught with the goods, ma’am,” the cowboy assured her. “Caught red-handed with the goods on him.”
They took him back to the encampment in the maimed Comet, Barney following on his horse, and presently they had him securely bound, feet and hands, with stout pieces of cord.
“It seems a shame to bring the poor fellow back to life as a prisoner,” observed Miss Campbell, as she applied her bottle of smelling salts to Peter’s nose.
All this time Billie had remained silent. She was not so forgiving of Peter’s sins as the others. In fact, she marveled at their moderation.
“I’m sure I don’t see why he should go scot free any more than any other thief,” she said. “This is the second time he has robbed us, first of fifty dollars and then of the Comet——”