As the outlaw had anticipated, Rose's dash had taken the cavalrymen by surprise, but they were prepared for Red and Pedro when they appeared.
After the girl's escape, the lieutenant had trained his field glasses on the trail.
"It's Red, all right! It must be from his shirt! He's got some one behind him. A hundred dollars to the man who drops him!" cried Fox, excitedly, as the outlaw raced along the trail.
After Pedro had passed, the troopers waited several minutes.
"There's no more of 'em," opined Alkali. "We're only losing time here. Better strike for them woods, sir."
But the young officer was of a different mind.
"That's just what Red would expect us to do," returned the lieutenant. "Up the trail, men."
CHAPTER VII.
THE QUARREL.