The seriousness of their pal's tone hushed the hilarity on the outlaws' lips.
Yet before he had the opportunity to explain his words, Wild Bill cried:
"Look! Look! To the north! Quick!"
Believing their fellow had caught sight of the redskins coming back, the desperadoes wheeled like a flash, whipping out their shooting irons at the same time.
But it was not Indians they saw.
Hastily raising their eyes, when they found that it was no skulking figures that had called forth Wild Bill's excited exclamation, they were just in time to see a shower of seeming stars dropping through the air.
"It's a falling meteor!" ejaculated Bob Moore.
Believing it was, indeed, some of those phenomena so common on the plains, the outlaws gazed at the spectacular sight.
But the bandit-chieftain did not share their opinion.