‘Better let Morgan ride with the doctor,’ suggested Hashknife. ‘I’ll go back to the Lane place, and as soon as the sheriff shows up, you can tell him what happened, Eller.’
‘All right. It’ll give me a chance to put Briggs to bed.’
‘I’m going to ride a horsh,’ declared Rex.
‘You’re goin’ to ride on a buggy seat,’ replied Hashknife. ‘Get in with the doctor and I’ll lead yore horse.’
It was possibly an hour later when the sheriff came back to Mesa City with the body of Peter Morgan. Dave Morgan and Spike Cahill came back with him, and when they stopped at the Oasis saloon, Red Eller told them what had happened at the Lane ranch.
Joe Cave, Bunty Smith’s driver, had joined Red at the Oasis, and now they all headed for the Lane ranch, taking the body of Peter Morgan along with them. Red knew nothing about the shooting, except what Rex had told them.
‘That’s what yuh get for leavin’ yore deputy at that place,’ declared Dave Morgan. ‘Old Lane probably mistook Noah for one of the 6X6 outfit.’
‘Don’t talk too damn much, until yuh know what it is all about,’ replied Lem, and Dave subsided.
They were unable to travel very fast over the old road, for fear of jolting the corpse out of the hack, but they eventually drew up at the Lane ranch. Hashknife met them at the porch.
‘Evans is pretty badly hurt, but conscious,’ he told them. ‘The doctor thinks he might stand the ride to Cañonville, where we can ship him to a hospital, if he needs one; and this ain’t such a good place for him.’