“Drink this,” she invited. “And thank you for saving me.”
Craig emptied the glass eagerly. He was beginning to be more than a little conscious of his fatigue.
“I just happened to be the first to see him,” he said. “They aren’t quite wild enough to allow that here, are they?”
“Quien sabe? The girls do not like me! The men do not care,” she declared. “José took me by surprise, though, or I would have killed him. But who are you, and where did you come from?”
“I have just crossed the border,” he replied.
She nodded understandingly.
“Were they after you?”
“Yes! with a warrant for my arrest!”
She patted his hand.
“You are safe now,” she whispered. “We care that much for a United States warrant,” and she snapped her slim fingers. “You shall stay with us for a time. We will take care of you.”
He sighed wearily.
“If I do,” he said, “there will be trouble. Wherever I go there is trouble. I have been round the world looking for peace. I shall never find it in this world.”
Her eyes filled with tears. There was something hopelessly pathetic in his appearance.
“You shall find it here,” she promised.
Back in the camp, a spirit of deviltry had entered once more into Long Jim and his mates. A tactless remark on the part of one of the deputies had set alight once more the smouldering fire of resentment which the cowboys had all the time felt against them. At a word from Long Jim they were taken by surprise and again tied to the wagon.
“These guys ain’t got a sufficiency yet, boys. Limber up them guns again. Same order as before. Put a few more petals on them flowers, and I’ll trim their eyelashes for them.”
The deputies spluttered with rage and fear. Shots rained about them and the canvas of the wagon was riddled. French began to get restless.
“Look here,” he said to Laura, “I can’t stand this any longer. It don’t seem right to have two officers of the law treated like that, any way. I guess I’ll have to butt in again.”
“Don’t,” Laura advised bluntly. “You’ll get yours if you do.”
A yell from one of the deputies clinched the matter. French drew his revolver and advanced into the centre of the little group.
“Say, you fellows,” he exclaimed, “you’ve got to stop this! Those men came here on a legitimate errand and it’s your duty to respect them.”
Long Jim strolled up to the Inspector.
“Maybe you’re right, Mr. French,” he remarked, “but—”
With a swoop of his long arm he snatched French’s gun away, examined it for a moment, looked at French and shook his head.
“You’re too fat, Inspector,” he declared sorrowfully, “still too fat. That’s what’s the matter with you. Another ten minutes’ exercise will do you all the good in the world.”
A bullet struck the dust a few inches from French’s feet. Furious with rage, he found himself once more forced to resort to undignified antics. This time, however, Laura intervened. She walked straight up into the little circle and stood close to French’s side, regardless of the levelled guns.
“Look here, Long Jim, or whatever your name is,” she protested, “you just call your crowd off and stop this. Undo those two deputies. A joke’s a joke, but this has gone far enough. If you don’t untie them, I will. Take your choice and get a move on.”
Long Jim scratched his chin for a moment.
“Waal,” he said, “I guess that what the lady says goes. We ain’t often favoured with ladies’ society, boys, and I guess when we are we’d better do as we are told. Turn ’em loose, boys.”
They abandoned the sport a little reluctantly. Suddenly they all paused to listen. The sound of a horse’s slow footfall was heard close at hand. Presently Quest appeared out of the shadows, carrying Lenora in his arms. Laura rushed forward.
“Lenora!” she cried. “Is she hurt?”
Quest laid her tenderly upon the ground.
“We had a spill at the bridge,” he explained quickly. “I don’t know whether Craig loosened the supports. He got over all right, but it went down under Lenora, who was following, and I had to get her out of the river. Where’s the Professor?”
The Professor came ambling down from the tent where he had been lying. He stooped at once over Lenora’s still unconscious form.
“Dear me!” he exclaimed. “Dear me! Come, come!”
He passed his hand over her side and made a brief examination.
“Four ribs broken,” he pronounced. “It will be a week, at any rate, before we are able to move her. Nothing more serious, so far as I can see, Mr. Quest, but she’ll need rest and all the comfort we can give her.”
“Say, that’s too bad!” Long Jim declared. “If you’ve got to stay around for a time, though, you can have the tents. We boys can double up anywhere, or bunk on the ground. That’s right, ain’t it?” he added, turning around to the cowboys.
There was a little grunt of acquiescence. They carried Lenora to the largest of the tents and made her as comfortable as possible. She opened her eyes on the way.
“I am so sorry,” she faltered. “It’s just my side. It—hurts. How did I get out of the stream?”
“I fished you out,” Quest whispered. “Don’t talk now. We are going to make you comfortable.”
She pressed his hand and closed her eyes again. The Professor returned.
“We’ll make the young lady comfortable all right,” he assured them cheerfully, “but there’s one thing you can make up your minds to. We are here for a week at the least.”
They all looked at one another. The Inspector was the only one who preserved an air of cheerfulness, and he was glancing towards Laura.
“Guess we’ll have to make the best of it,” he murmured.
2.
The girl drew a low stool over to Craig’s side. He was sitting in a rough chair tilted back against the adobe wall of the saloon.
“As tired as ever?” she asked, laying her hand upon his for a moment.
He turned his head and looked at her.
“Always tired,” he answered listlessly.
She made a little grimace.
“But you are so strange,” she protested. “Over the hills there are the steam cars. They would take you to some of our beautiful cities where all is light and gaiety. You are safe here, whatever your troubles may have been. You say that you have money, and if you are lonely,” she added, dropping her voice, “you need not go alone.”
LENORA KNOWS THAT QUEST IS IN DANGER AND GOES TO FIND HIM.
MARTA TRIES TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH CRAIG.
He patted her hand affectionately but there was something a