t
even at that moment they heard the sound of a horse's hoofs and saw a
flying figure in the distance.

"Said he couldn't ride!" French shouted. "Told the young lady so when she
wanted him to go and warn us of the fire. Look at him now!"

"Come on, all of you," one of the cowboys yelled, as they rushed for the
horse. "Bring your lariats. We'll have him, sure."

French, with his start, was the first to reach a horse. The cowboys
galloped off through the shadows. Dimly visible, they now and then caught
a glimpse of their quarry; sometimes he faded out of sight altogether.

"We'll have him through that patch of brush," Long Jim shouted. "He won't
dare to ride the pace there."

They saw him for a moment bending low over his horse, but they did not see
him slip easily from its back, roll over into the brushwood, and lie there
concealed. They heard the thunder of hoofs ahead, and they galloped by.
When they were out of sight, the Chinaman stole away into the darkness.
Nearly an hour later, the little party caught up with the riderless horse.
The language of the cowboys was picturesque.

"Spread out, boys. We'll round him up going back, if we can," Long Jim
directed. "If he was spilled off, we'll get him, sure. But if the dirty
coyote has tricked us and slipped off into the brush, it's good night.
We'll never find him."

French's hand tightened upon his revolver, and his eyes pierced the
darkness to right and to left as he rode slowly back.

"There'll be no trial if I can get the drop on him," he muttered.

Away in the distance, John Chinaman was reaching Allguez, and the little
party of cowboys rode into the camp without having seen a sign of him.
French was narrating his failure to the three others, when Quest in
silence handed him a cablegram, a messenger had just brought.

To Inspector French, Allguez, N.M.

Very sorry. Craig gave us slip after leaving depot. Niece
disappeared from address given. No clues at present. When are
you returning?

French swore softly for a moment. Then he dropped into a chair, exhausted.

"This," he declared, "is our unlucky evening."

3.

The woman who had just laid the cloth for a homely evening meal, smiled
across at the girl who stood at the window.

"It's all ready now directly your uncle comes home," she announced. "Say,
you never seem to tire of looking out of that window."

The girl turned around with a smile. She was very young and dressed in
deep