“One feller was hit in the shoulder and knocked down,” sez he; “but he got up again right away, and both of ’em ran back.”
“What did the Friar do?” I asked, not darin’ to look over, lest he see me.
“He turned around and started back,” sez Horace. “I was afraid he’d see my head again’ the sky, so I pulled it back. I haven’t heard him move since those fellers started to run.”
“Well, I don’t believe ’at even the Friar would be daffy enough to go back,” sez I; “so we’ll just lay here and listen. They signalled us from above a while back, but they’ve stopped again.”
We waited some time without hearin’ any one pass us, and then we sneaked up along the edge of the ravine. Before long we saw the Friar come up the side. He paused on top and looked back, then mounted and started for Olaf’s at a slow shuffle. As soon as he was well under way, we pushed for the look-out, and mounted.
“Slim, you and Tillte wouldn’t be missed as soon as the rest of us; so you trail the Friar, while we try to beat him home,” sez I. “If you need us, shoot. Otherwise come in as unnoticeable as you’re able.”
We reached Olaf’s, had our saddles off and the hosses turned loose before the Friar rode in. His face was white, but this was the only thing ’at showed what he was goin’ through. We made a big fuss about his gettin’ back all right and asked him plenty o’ questions, without overdoin’ it enough to make him suspicious. He answered our questions right enough, but he didn’t open up and talk free. Slim and Tillte joined us at supper without bein’ noticed.
After supper we gathered around the fire in Olaf’s settin’ room, and the Friar gave us a purty complete account of what had happened. He said that it was his old girl all right; but he said that the’ was somethin’ the matter with her, that she didn’t recognize him even after he had made himself known to her. He said she seemed dazed-like and not to take any interest in anything.
He said they had walked down the ravine together, and she had told him that she was comfortable enough but not happy. That she had lost something which she could not find; but that she was getting stronger since havin’ come out to the mountains. He said ’at when Ty Jones saw ’em together, he had carried on somethin’ fierce, and had ordered her into the house. Then he had turned on the Friar and told him that he would give him two weeks to leave the state and after that his life wouldn’t be safe in it. He said he had tried to reason with Ty; but it wasn’t any use; so he had just come away.
“If he had set upon you, would you have shot him?” asked Tank.