Taking their cues from their leader, Clell and Cole said nothing.
The pause was awkward and each moment made it more so—for young Rozier.
Try as he would, however, the lad could think of no way to make an opening for his questions. Obviously it would not do to ask about the mines abruptly.
Finally, getting desperate, he took out his cigar case, stammering:
"Have a—have a cigar?"
"No thank you," responded Jesse. "My partner, Mr. Bemis, brought on a supply of a special kind we have made for us from Mexican tobacco and I prefer those." But despite his words, the bandit-chieftain made no move to get any.
Nettled by the refusal, for he realized that it meant that the men before him would accept nothing, not even a smoke, from his hands, the banker's son summoned all his courage and asked:
"Mr. Bemis wasn't here yesterday when you made your wonderful rescue of my sister, was he?"
"No, he was not," returned the great outlaw.