“Ho, señor, I fired that shot!”
Señor Otega recognized the voice at once. It had a ring in it that once heard could not be forgotten. So he wheeled his horse, and rode back to find the one who had rescued him standing by the side of the fallen outlaw.
“Señor Cody!”
“Yes; I had a dread that your coming with me as far as you did might get you into trouble, so I turned back to dog your steps, unseen by you, and see you enter your ranch in safety.”
“How glad am I that you did, señor!”
“I was not very far behind you, nearer you than I thought, for you must have slackened your speed, and I distinctly heard the voice of your captor.
“I instantly sprang from my saddle, and, advancing on foot, realized that you had been captured, and I saw one man, but took the chances of there being more.
“As he was an outlaw, I thought it best to put him out of the way.”
“God bless you,” was all the ranchero could at first say.