The man opened his eyes, groaned, grunted, and sat up. He blinked his eyes rapidly several times and smiled pleasantly at Hazel.
"That was a jolt I got," said he. "Is there whisky in the bottle?"
He took a long and healthy pull, drove in the cork with the heel of his hand, wiped his lips and then seemed to see Rafe Tuckleton and his men for the first time.
"I seem to remember those bandits giving me the chase of my young life," he remarked, nodding his head. "I don't know why. I don't know why my unknown friend with the six-shooter and my other equally unknown friend with the scatter-gun are holding them up, but I'm glad they're doing it. Still, why? Why all this fuss and these feathers?"
"I don't know either," replied Billy, continuing to watch Rafe Tuckleton and his men like the proverbial hawk, "but we hope to find out. When a couple of friends of mine get here, we aim to find out."
CHAPTER SIX
CROSS-PURPOSES
"... and my name is John Dawson," continued the stranger, "and I'm on my way to visit my uncle at Jacksboro."
"Uncle! Jacksboro!" exclaimed Jonesy. "Pretty smooth and thin."