He clambered out of the water, and crawled into a thicket.
There he lay shivering, and witnessed a thrilling scene upon the other bank of the creek.
The occupants of the wagon had all been aroused, and were every one prisoners, in the power of Cliff and his cowboys.
The outlaw had managed to cover the twenty miles, skillfully following the trail by means of a dark lantern.
He had been hovering with his minions about the Steam Man, just as Pomp committed the indiscretion of leaving the door open.
Of course it was an easy matter for the cowboys to board the wagon and make prisoners of all on board.
The glee of Cliff was beyond expression.
He danced and clapped his hands with fiendish joy. He pinched Bessie’s arms until she screamed with agony, and with brutal laughter roared:
“Oh, I’ll make ye all dance. Ye thought ye’d git away from me, did ye, gal? I’ll show ye that ye can’t get away from Artemas Cliff. Ha, ha, ha! What a good joke.”
He laughed uproariously.