“So I supposed,” was the calm rejoinder.
“Look hyer,” cried Lonesome Pete, wincing with the pain of his wound, but unable to repress his curiosity, “ye’re no tenderfoot. That dodge ye worked, an’ the way ye went fer Lawless, proves thet.”
“Maybe I’m not a tenderfoot,” answered De Bray; “but that’s all you lads need to know. How did Lawless and his gang manage to overhaul us here?”
“They come across the arm o’ the gulch,” explained Billings. “The stage-trail winds around the arm, an’ they made a short cut.”
“But why? My brain isn’t just as clear as it might be, and I can’t figure it out.”
“None o’ the rest o’ us kin figger it out, either,” said Hotchkiss. “Somethin’ about thet locket sent Lawless arter us ag’in—an’ arter the woman.”
“The woman?” queried De Bray, startled.
“Yep; the villains took her away.”
“It’s a big mystery,” put in Billings. “Lawless left a note, the ring, an’ the locket fer me ter take ter Gentleman Jim.”
“Who’s Gentleman Jim?” asked De Bray.