"Trust the bearer with your life. Pick out eight of the best men in the camp, whom you can trust, and have them pretend to start for W—— on business, going in your coach.
"See that no one else goes. Have two leaders that are good saddle-horses, and smuggle into the coach seven saddles.
"I will meet you at Dead Line with horses, and prepare to lose your leaders then, for four horses can readily pull your empty coach on to W——.
"Your men must be the best, and fully armed.
"The bearer will bring your answer to me."
"Yours,
B. B."
Pushing rapidly on, Wallace Weston arrived in Last Chance that night and at once sought out Harding. Giving him his letter, he received his answer, after the two had had a talk together, and then, mounted upon a fresh horse furnished him by the driver, he started upon his return, having attracted no particular attention.
It was the next day that the coach rolled out for W—— and it carried eight miners as passengers. Arriving at Dead Line, it was met there by Buffalo Bill, Surgeon Powell, and Wallace Weston, and the eight miners joined them and went up to the scout's basin camp.
Then, with the two leaders taken from Harding's coach, they had, with Wolf's horses and the pack-animals, enough to mount the party.