“Guess we better skate down that way a bit; eh, boys?”
“We’re yer highbucks,” came the answer, and away Fighting Dan’s party dashed.
When well beyond the view of the mule men, Fighting Dan pulled up and said:
“Rest yer plugs while Lex and me scouts er bit. Them fellers hain’t seen any Injuns, and their mules hadn’t been stampeded. Some o’ them chaps belong to Price’s gang, and I’ll bet my hoss they had been down here ter hide some guv’ment supplies till they get a chance to ship ’em. Ye see the officers are gittin’ pretty clost hauls on Price, and he’s takin’ care of his stuff. What d’ ye say, boys? Haven’t we a right to a share in ther loot?”
“It’s a safe bet we have, and we are the boys that can take the goods if your human bloodhound can lead us to ’em,” came the reply.
“That’s ther talk! Now, Lex an’ me’ll go on a still hunt fer ther trail, an’ you fellers stay here ready for a charge to the rescue if you hear fireworks. If Price has got any valerbles here he ain’t ther fool ter leave ’em uncovered, an’ it may mean er scrap.”
Fighting Dan and his plainsman set out on foot, and first climbed well into the mountains, where they could command a view of the plain to the northward, to see if the men with the mules kept on. They had held straight toward town, so Dan and his trailer chose the best footing possible back around the mountain to the trail they had left.
At last they saw where the mules had just passed out, and took the back trail into the mountains. A little farther on they discovered that another party on horseback had struck the trail ahead of them and were following in the way the mules had come out.
“Well, I’ll be riddled with forty-fours!” exclaimed Dan. “This gets me all right. Who be these other chaps thet hev jumped ther claim ahead of us?”
“They are white men,” answered Lex, “for their horses are shod.”