t seems he an' ol' Koleta, an' a young
Cheyenne buck, had been hangin' 'round across the river from Dodge fer
quite a while waitin' fer Le Fevre to pull off some sorter stunt.
Maybe I did n't get just the straight o' it, but anyhow they held up a
paymaster, er something like that, fer a big boodle. They expected to
do it quiet like, hold the off'cer a day er so out in the desert, an'
then turn him loose to howl. But them plans did n't just exactly work.
The fellow's daughter was with him, when the pinch was made, an' they
hed to take her 'long too. Then the officer man got ugly, an' had to
be shot, an' Le Fevre quarrelled with the other white man in the
outfit, an' killed him. That left the gal on their hands, an' them all
in a hell of a fix if they wus ever caught. The young Injuns wanted to
kill the gal too, an' shet her mouth, but somehow Le Fevre an' Koleta
would n't hear to it--said she 'd be worth more alive than dead, an'
that they could hide her whar she 'd never be heard of ag'in unless her
friends put up money to buy her back."

Hamlin was leaning forward, watching the speaker intently, and it
seemed to him his heart had stopped beating. This story had the
semblance of truth; it _was_ the truth. So Dupont and Le Fevre were
one and the same. He could believe this now, could perceive the
resemblance, although the man had grown older, taken on flesh, and
disguised himself wonderfully by growing that black beard. Yet, at the
moment, he scarcely considered the man at all; his whole interest
concentrated on the fate of the unfortunate girl.

"Where were they taking her, Hughes--do you know?"

"Wa'n't but one place fer 'em to take her--the Cheyennes hev got winter
camp down yonder on the Canadian--Black Kettle's outfit. Onc't thar,
all hell could n't pry her loose."

"And Le Fevre dared go there? Among those hostiles?"

"Him!" Hughes laughed scornfully. "Why, he's hand in glove with the
whole bunch. He's raided with 'em, decked out in feathers an'
war-paint."

The Sergeant thought rapidly and leaped to a sudden conclusion.

"And you were trying to kill him when you shot us up?"

"Thet wus the idea, stranger; if I got a friend o' yourn, I 'm powerful
sorry."

CHAPTER XXVIII

SNOWBOUND

The gleam in Hamlin's eyes impelled the other to go on, and explain
fully.

"Lord, I know how yer feel, stranger, an', I reckon, if yer was to plug
me right yere it would n't more 'n even matters up.