ats from the post of Number Six, until within a
hundred yards of the store, when, attracted possibly by the bleary
lights still remaining in the barroom, he had veered that way until his
footprints were merged with dozens of others in the path. Presently
they were found again, passing between the store and the shack, around
in rear of the low log building, where at that time, presumably,
Craney, Watts and Case were asleep in their respective rooms. It seemed
as though he had paused and moved about a little in rear of the shack
as though in search of some one, and then had gone straight out beyond,
heading for the nearest clump of willows south of the ford, and there
it was found that the moccasin print overlaid that of the San Francisco
boot and followed it up stream to where the torn and trampled sands,
close to the brink, told of furious struggle. Moreover, this one
moccasin print was wet and came over the stones and up the bank just
about where Willett had reached it, and paused a moment or two before
turning away. At this point the stream babbled over rocky shallows, and
it was possible to cross by springing from rock to rock without wetting
a sole, but whoever had crossed here had been hurried and incautious.
One foot had missed, slipped or trailed, and its covering was soaking
wet as it followed on up the bank. It was still wet enough to leave, as
the lantern determined, a perceptible trace on the broad
stepping-stones just below the placid pool at the ford, where the
shores were low and sandy again--so wet, in fact, that the stain toward
the opposite bank and on the farthermost stone became a splash so dark
that the foremost sergeant, swinging his lantern aloft, sung out to his
follower, "Watch out! It's blood!" and blood it proved to be--there and
thereafter, down the opposite bank.

Yet not a drop was seen on the sands where Willett fell. Then his
assailants had not escaped unscathed. Unarmed as he was, the officer
had made a desperate fight for life.

"Now's the time to nab him!" said Turner, as he carried the report to
Archer. "'Tonio has managed to elude Malloy's party, probably by
leading them off on a false scent, but now we have blood to follow. Let
me send out a platoon, mounted, and we may nail the gang before
sunrise."

It was then short of two o'clock, and while busy trailers followed on
with their lanterns down the eastward bank, and were presently seen
flitting like fireflies far south among the