“I see. Bernritter didn’t want Buffalo Bill to help probe the Three-ply robberies, eh?”
“No. He knew the king of scouts wouldn’t be long in finding just how things stood.”
“Well, you and Bernritter took just the right course to get Buffalo Bill interested out here.”
“I can see that, now. But when we put the bar in the Dutchman’s saddle-bag we didn’t know he was a pard of Buffalo Bill’s.”
“That’s the way things go wrong for men like you and Bernritter—sometimes,” put in the scout.
“This stealing has been going on for the past two weeks, has it?” pursued McGowan, anxious to take full advantage of Jacobs’ talkative mood.
“Yes.”
“You and Bernritter were tapping the battery-boxes right along, eh?”
Jacobs looked surprised.
“How did you find that out?” he asked.