“That’s what,” replied the deputy. “Looks as if a man might shove it down with his foot, too, don’t it? Hallo! Up that way, eh?”—as Jack, who was leading, turned to the right and began to go up the waterway.
We ascended the slope, waded through the tunnel, which greatly excited the astonishment of the two men, and went on part way down the second dry watercourse, but as we turned the corner which brought us in sight of the bars Jack pulled up, and addressing the men, said:
“There’s a set of bars here, and a little stone fort just beyond. If the men have come back, and if they have any arms, that is where they’ll be.”
“Very well,” said the deputy, calmly, “then it’s my business to turn them out. It’s no concern of you boys; so you can keep out of range. Just stay here while I go down.”
Without more ado he stepped round the corner, stood for a minute with his cocked rifle in his hand gazing earnestly at the loopholes, and then marched straight down the middle of the ravine, climbed over the bars, and scrambled up into the little fort.
“Nobody here,” said he, jumping down again; and coming back to the bars he let them down for us to pass through.
It was an extremely plucky thing to do, in my opinion. I know that nothing would have induced me to face those loopholes. But the deputy seemed to be absolutely without fear; I myself, standing in safety around the corner, was a great deal more afraid for him than he appeared to be for himself. He was taking his life in his hands, for all he knew, and yet he did it as calmly as though it were part of an ordinary day’s work. He was an uncommonly plucky fellow, that deputy.
We were soon at the exit of the gully, and there Jack once more requested a halt. Going forward a short distance, he examined the ground carefully, and then called out: “It’s all right. Nobody has been down here.”
At the mouth of the gully there lay a fan-shaped bed of sand, brought down by the overflow of the spring above. The rain of three or four days ago had been heavy enough to send a thin stream of water over it, obliterating all the old tracks and leaving it perfectly smooth. There was not a foot-mark or a hoof-mark upon it, old or new.
This was a very satisfactory discovery, and we rode on down into the valley with a great accession of confidence.