“It’s a puzzle, then, that soon will be solved,” returned the scout. “Who’s the girl?”
“Dell of the Double D,” answered McGowan; “Dell Dauntless, a friend of Annie’s.”
The scout, impressed by the girl’s beauty, but somewhat disappointed by the sight of her showy apparel and accouterments, watched the party approach.
Now, at last, he felt sure, they were to get developments worth while.
“Golightly!” exclaimed McGowan, when the riders had drawn rein in front of the office and the Irishman had dismounted, “what does this mean? Where’s the buckboard and the horses?”
While Golightly, stamping the ground wrathfully and shaking his fists, was telling of the theft of the rig and of the bear-trap, Nomad had been introducing the scout to Dell Dauntless.
“It’s an honor,” said the girl, leaning down from her saddle and grasping the scout’s hand firmly, “to meet a veteran of the plains like Buffalo Bill.”
“Thank you,” smiled the scout, and turned somewhat abruptly to Nomad. “Why are you back at the mine, old pard?” he asked. “I thought you were in Phœnix, by this time, waiting for Cayuse and me.”
“Would er been, Buffler, of important things hadn’t happened,” said Nomad. “Wouldn’t expect me ter keep cl’ar o’ ther mine when fireworks is due ter be set off, would ye? Miss McGowan hes been run away with, an’ we’re hyar ter tell ye erbout et.”
“We are already informed on that point, Nick. But how did you happen to discover it?”
“Already informed?” repeated Dell. “How, may I ask?”
Turning back to the girl, the scout silently handed her the message, at the same time pointing to where the arrow lay on the ground.
“This was fired into camp with an arrow, eh?” murmured the girl, passing her eyes swiftly over the communication received from the scout.
When she had done with the reading, she laid the note on the horn of her saddle and brought her gauntleted fist down on it sharply.
“Why, the guess I had already made that Bernritter and Bascomb were back of Dell’s abduction.”
“Listen to Golightly, Buffalo Bill,” spoke up McGowan. “We’re getting down to cases in this matter. Go on, Golightly,” he added to the Irishman, “and tell Buffalo Bill what you have just told me.”
Golightly, with many “begorrys” and “bedads,” and a wrathful twist of his brogue, repeated to the scout what he had just told the mine-owner.
