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In an instant he was up; in another, or the same instant, he was off, with his head down, and belly to earth, with the speed of a race-horse and the frenzy of a wild thing set free. Haig was only slightly stunned by the fall. He heard, though he did not see, the escape of Sunnysides; and for one black moment all in the present was blotted out.
Thad's the topnotch cow-puncher between the Black Hills an' the Rio Grande, an' he comes all the way f'm Dakoty when he hears the yarn about Sunnysides. Thad gits fourteen men to help him round up the bunch, an' then he ropes the gold feller after a fight that's talked about yit in the San Luis. He ropes him. An' then what does Brinker do?"
Smythe and Marion walked up the hill toward the tree where Marion had practised shooting. Until they reached it neither spoke. "Well?" said Marion, turning suddenly on him. "Sunnysides has got away." "And he?" she cried. "Thrown, but not hurt." She stared at him a moment, dazed. Then she threw back her head, and clasped her hands on her breast. "Oh!" she murmured. "But how you frightened me!"
"Sunnysides?" cried Huntington excitedly. "I believe so." "He will, will he?" chuckled Huntington. "That serves " "But Marion?" interrupted Claire. "What about Marion?" Hillyer looked doubtfully from one to the other, in much embarrassment. What did they know? Or were they as ignorant as he of the situation that had been revealed to him as if by the flash of a thunderbolt?
From the top of the ridge, Haig saw the outlaw picking his way through a wilderness of rocks that had the grewsome aspect of a cemetery the graveyard of the gods. Following through this depressing scene, he lost sight of Sunnysides, and on emerging upon another floor-like expanse of solid stone he received a surprise that caused him to rein up Trixy with a jerk.
Clearly the runaway had only just now been able to shake it off, and its condition, bruised and cut and dirty, showed that Sunnysides had been put to some trouble to be rid of it, having doubtless rolled over and over on it in his efforts to be free. And there, too, was a plausible explanation of the fact that Sunnysides was not now far on the trail.
But not Sunnysides. He ejected the exploded cartridges, and filled the chambers with fresh ones; then lay back and rested again, the gun still clutched in his hand. And why did he wait? To get strength, for one thing. He wanted to sit up to do it, since he could not stand. And then there was another trouble.
Farrish was on the outside, gazing down the road where Sunnysides was now almost out of sight, a mere yellow spot in a cloud of dust. Curly was jerking Craven's horse to its feet. "What's the matter there?" called Haig. "Bill's hurt!" answered Curly. With Pete at his side, not yet assured that all was well with him, Haig walked unsteadily to where Bill lay against the fence.
It was from Norton's, or near it, that the last word had come of Haig and Sunnysides; so there was no need to stop for confirmation of their direction. The valley narrowed to a gulch, and the forest came down on either side, and the road ahead of them was swallowed up in shade.
Then, seeing their impatience, he told them of Sunnysides' final escape, and of all the events that followed as much as was good for them to know. "But where's Pete?" asked Craven. "He went to Huntington's with Miss Gaylord. He'll be along soon." "Well, jest wait till we git our hands on that damned Indian!" cried Bill. "Eh, men?"
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