"Wow! Whoop!" Bang! Bang! "Wow!"
And a moment later, sweeping around a turn, a cloud of dust appeared to Mark's straining eyes. The cloud drew nearer; the shouts and yells swelled louder, accompanied now and then by a fusillade as from a dozen revolvers; and at last, in the midst of the cloud, as if racing with it, a horse and rider came into view, the rider with a huge revolver in each hand and a dozen in his belt, flinging his arms, shouting and yelling as if forty demons were on his trail.
"Heaven help him!" Mark thought to himself. "Heaven help him, for I can't!"
The rider was Texas.
Mark had scarcely had time to take in the startling situation, before the horse and rider were upon him with a rush and a whirl.
"Wow! Whoop!" roared Texas, with all the power of his mighty throat; and at the same moment Mark heard a bullet whistle past his head.
Texas had not recognized his friend at the pace he was riding; he and his flying steed were past and started up the road in the direction whence Mark had come, when the latter turned and shouted:
"Texas! Oh, Texas! come back here!"
Texas gave a mighty tug upon the reins which brought his horse to his haunches; he swung him around with a whirl that would have flung any ordinary rider from the saddle; and then he dashed back, on his face a broad grin of recognition and delight.
"Hi, Mark!" he roared. "Durnation glad to see you! Whoop!"