“Where are yez bound f’r, Nomad?” asked Golightly.
“Phœnix. Buffler, an’ Leetle Cayuse, an’ me aire startin’ fer Fort Apache. Leetle Cayuse an’ Buffler will start from ther Three-ply this arternoon. Hevin’ er piece o’ bizness ter attend ter in Phœnix, I started on ahead.”
“What had Oi betther do? Go on t’ Phanix, or back t’ th’ moine?”
“Ef Miss McGowan was comin’ on ther mornin’ train——”
“She was that.”
“Then she reached Phœnix three hours since, an’ prob’ly hes gone ter ther hotel. Yore cue, Golightly, is ter mosey back ter ther Three-ply, an’ report what’s happened. Someway, I don’t like ther looks o’ things. This underhand work may p’int ter some big villainy er other, an’ McGowan ort ter be informed o’ et as soon as possible.”
“Oi do be sizin’ av ut up in th’ same way, Nomad; but it’s severeal moiles back t’ th’ Three-ply, an’ Oi’ll be some toime coverin’ th’ ground on foot.”
“Ye’ll not kiver the ground on foot, Golightly, fer I’m goin’ ter give ye a lift. I’ll erbout-face an’ make front on thet Three-ply camp, so’st ye kin give McGowan ther nub o’ this diffikilty in short order. Climb up behind me.”
Nomad kicked his foot out of one of the stirrups, and Golightly was just mounting, when a clatter of hoofs reached their ears from southward.
The trapper hoisted himself in his saddle and looked across the tops of the bushes toward the gulch opening at the south side of the basin.