Not till it was so dark that the members of the posse had difficulty in distinguishing their fellows was the search given up, however.
Too crestfallen to speak, the detectives gave assent by their silence to the suggestion to return to the Springs and rode far behind the others, hoping against hope that some of the towns warned by Dillaby might have reported the capture of the world-famous desperado.
As the reader knows, no such announcement greeted them and in despair they wired to the office in Chicago.
The hours elapsing before the reply came were not made happy for the man-hunters by the townsfolk of the Springs and when their instructions read for them to remain in the village till the arrival of Captain Lull, who would take charge of the pursuit, their cup of bitterness was filled to the brim.
But almost at the very moment that the orders were received by the detectives, Jesse, Cole, John and Jim rode from the yard of Theodoric Snuffer.
Chapter XIII.
A MIDNIGHT RESCUE.