Dick looked across at the policeman.
“Your suggestion, then, is to return immediately to the road-house?”
“If you boys are not too tired, I’d like to start at once.”
“Now that we’ve had something to eat, I’m ready to go,” said Sandy. “I feel a lot different than I did when we arrived here a short time ago.”
With one accord the three rose to their feet, and not long afterward secured their horses and departed. Following a hard but uneventful ride, they reached the scene of the events of the night previous. They met Toma just outside the door of the road-house. He greeted them with a cheery smile, striding forward to shake hands with Corporal Rand.
“Glad you come so soon, corporal. I get ’em Creel over here last night. Him pretty near all right now.”
“Did Frischette come back?” asked Sandy.
The young Indian shook his head.
“He no come. Creel no think he come either.”
They found Creel a few moments later, sitting, with bandaged head, in a chair near an open window. At sight of the mounted policeman his eyes dilated perceptibly. Yet otherwise he showed little of the emotion and fear the boys had expected.