es of further danger.

"He maybe's laying for us yet," said Bob, as the thought finally
occurred to him. "Better have your gun handy."

"My gun's always handy," said Ware.

"You're bearing too far south," interposed the girl. "He was more up
this way."

"Don't think it," said Ware.

"Yes," she insisted. "I marked that young fir near where I first saw
him; and he ran low around that clump of manzanita."

Still skeptical, Ware joined her.

"That's right," he admitted, after a moment. "Here's his trail. I'd have
swore he was farther south. That's where I fired. I only missed him by
about a hundred yards," he grinned. "He sure made a mighty tall sneak.
I'm still figuring why he didn't open fire."

"Waiting for a better chance, maybe," suggested Amy.

"Must be. But what better chance does he want, unless he aims to get Bob
here, with a club?"

They followed the tracks left by Saleratus Bill until it was evident
beyond doubt that the gun-man had in reality departed. Then they started
to retrace their steps.

"Why not cut across?" asked Bob.

"I want to see whereabouts I _was_ shooting," said Ware.

"We'll cut across and wait for you on the road."

"All right," Ware agreed.

They made their short-cut, and waited. After a minute or so Ware shouted
to them.

"Hullo!" Bob answered.

"Come here!"

They returned down the dusty mill road. Just beyond the forks Ware was
standing, looking down at some object. As they approached he raised his
face to them. Even under its tan, it was pale.

"Guess this is another case of innocent bystander," said he gravely.

Flat on his back, arms outstretched in the dust, lay Oldham, with a
bullet hole accurately in the middle of his forehead.

XXXV

"Good heavens!" cried Amy. "What an awful thing!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Ware; "this is certainly tough. But I can't see but
it was a plumb accident. Who'd have thought he'd be coming along the
road just at that minute."

"Of course, you're not to blame," Amy reassured him quickly. "We must
get help. Of course, he's quite dead."

Ware nodded, gazing down at his victim reflectively.

"I was shootin' a little high," he remarked at last.

Up to this moment Bob had said nothing.

"If it will relieve your mind, any," he told Ware, "it isn't such a case
of innocent bystander as you may think. This man is the one who hired
Saleratus Bill to abduct me in the first place; and probably to kill me
in the second. I have a su