“Woman?” echoed Wild Bill.
“Certainly. That voice we heard in the Alcazar was a woman’s voice.”
“An Indian, too, by gorry! Have you any idea who it could be?”
The scout was thoughtful for a moment.
“Who could this mysterious friend be, if not Wah-coo-tah?” he said finally.
“By gorry, you’ve hit it!” exclaimed Wild Bill. “I hadn’t thought of Wah-coo-tah. She is very friendly toward you, but she doesn’t like Dell a little bit. Say, I’ll bet a hundred against a last year’s bird’s nest that Wah-coo-tah’s the girl who was trying to steer us away from this trap.”
“The more I think about it,” said the scout, “the more reasonable it seems. The girl, when she left the hotel, went back to her father. While with him she found out about his plans concerning us. No doubt she is watched, and finds it impossible to show herself openly to us and tell what she knows. But all this isn’t helping us to find Nick.”
“Lawless has got him, Cody, and probably he will try the same means for getting us. We’ll have to be on our guard every minute, or——”
At that instant Buffalo Bill flung down his own candle and knocked the candle out of Hickok’s hand; then, hurling himself against his companion, he bore him to the floor of the level, and dropped beside him.
Before the astounded Wild Bill could ask a question as to the reason for such an unexpected action, a spurt of flame lit up the passage, and a rattle of revolver-shots echoed deafeningly between the narrow walls.