“Stop! Not that way. They went down the gulch—three negroes.”
She pointed out of the valley, towards the dim glow on the southern horizon, and the cavalcade rode away into the gloom.
CHAPTER X
THE WIT OF AN ADVENTURESS
UP creek the three negroes fled, past other camps, to where the stream branched. Here they took to the right and urged their horses along a forsaken trail to the head-waters of the little tributary and over the low saddle. They had endeavored to reach unfrequented paths as soon as possible in order that they might pass unnoticed. Before quitting the valley they halted their heaving horses, and, selecting a stagnant pool, scoured the grease paint from their features as best they could. Their ears were strained for sounds of pursuit, but, as the moments passed and none came, the tension eased somewhat and they conversed guardedly. As the morning light spread they crossed the moss-capped summit of the range, but paused again, and, removing two saddles, hid them among the rocks. Slapjack left the others here and rode southward down the Dry Creek Trail towards town, while the partners shifted part of the weight from the overloaded packmules to the remaining saddle-animals and continued eastward along the barren comb of hills on foot, leading the five horses.
“It don’t seem like we’ll get away this easy,” said Dextry, scanning the back trail. “If we do, I’ll be tempted to foller the business reg’lar. This grease paint on my face makes me smell like a minstrel man. I bet we’ll get some bully press notices to-morrow.”
“I wonder what Helen was doing there,” Glenister answered, irrelevantly, for he had been more shaken by his encounter with her than at his part in the rest of the enterprise, and his mind, which should have been busied with the flight, held nothing but pictures of her as she stood in the half darkness under the fear of his Winchester. “What if she ever learned who that black ruffian was!” He quailed at the thought.
“Say, Dex, I am going to marry that girl.”
“I dunno if you be or not,” said Dextry. “Better watch McNamara.”
“What!” The younger man stopped and stared. “What do you mean?”
“Go on. Don’t stop the horses. I ain’t blind. I kin put two an’ two together.”