‘Gotcha, Lane!’ snapped Bowen.
But before any one else made a move, Rex flung himself against the door, crashing it shut in the faces of the cowboys. Then he darted out of the room, and a moment later they heard the crash of glass, as he went out through a window.
One of the cowboys yelled a warning, and they went pounding around the house, while Nan and her father stood there, looking foolishly at each other. Then the old man ran through the living-room and barred the front door, picking up his Winchester on the way back.
They could hear the cowboys yelling at each other, as they crashed through the brush, searching for the man they believed to be Paul Lane. Nan ran to a window and looked out. The chase had taken the men quite a distance from the ranch-house, but it would be only a matter of minutes until they would find Rex.
‘I reckon I’ll slide out for a while, Nan,’ said the old man coldly. ‘Looks like my best chance.’
He kissed her quickly, ran out, mounted one of the horses, and rode swiftly down past the stable. Nan heard several shots fired, and her heart sank. Had they shot Rex Morgan, she wondered?
She unbarred the door and went out on the porch, but could not see anybody. Acting on the impulse of the moment, she ran into the yard, climbed on a tall bay horse and raced away from the ranch, heading for Cañonville.
It is doubtful if Rex could have explained just why he slammed the door shut and then dived head-first through that window. It was the same window that Long Lane had used as an exit, but Rex did not wait to open it. He struck on his hands and knees in a shower of broken glass, splintered window frame, fairly bounced to his feet, and ran as fast as possible for the fringe of brush.
But one of the men had seen him, and that was only a glimpse. But it had been sufficient to send them all on his trail. He ran through the heavy cover, tearing his clothes on the mesquite, scratching his face and hands on the clinging thorns, but going ahead in spite of it all.
He could hear his pursuers now. They were unable to travel any faster than he, but they were probably in better physical condition. He tripped and fell heavily, staying down long enough to let two cowboys pass within twenty feet of him.