Silent shook his head. He was not interested in Soapy. Meecham glanced up the street, where Leach, Bill Grant and Slim Hunter were coming toward them. There was a bullet-hole in the cantle of Meecham’s saddle, which was plainly visible, and Silent wondered how it came there.
The three men spoke to Meecham and from them he gathered the information that Soapy was conscious again and stood a good chance of complete recovery. Then Meecham mounted and rode up the street toward the doctor’s home.
“Find anythin’, Silent?” queried Grant.
“Not a thing, Bill. They wasn’t in that fire, that’s a cinch. That fire wasn’t hot enough to”
Silent paused to stare at two saddled horses, which were straggling into view, coming toward the ruins of Brick’s old stable.
“By , there’s their horses!” exploded Silent.
He ran across the smoldering mass and managed to catch Brick’s sorrel. The other men joined him, and Slim Hunter captured Harp’s roan filly.
Neither horse had been injured in any way, and the reins had been tied to the saddlehorns. From under the right-hand fender of each saddle extended a gun-scabbard, and in each one was a rifle—fully loaded.
Silent scratched his head wonderingly.
“By grab, there’s dirty work here!” he declared. “These horses were turned loose. Both of them broncs are rein-broke, and they never wandered away, y’betcha.”