and Connors, Hamlin sent his men down the
straggling street to drag out the occupants of shack and tent, riding
himself to the blazing front of the "Poodle Dog."

Late as the hour was, the saloon and the gambling rooms above were all
crowded. Hamlin plunged into the mass of men, pressing passage back
and forth, his eyes searching the faces, while he eagerly questioned
those with whom he had any acquaintance. Few among these could recall
to mind either "Reb" or his boon companion, and even those who did
retained no recollection of having seen the two lately. The bartenders
asserted that neither man had been there that night, and the dealers
above were equally positive. The city marshal, encountered outside,
remembered Dupont, and had seen him at the hotel three hours before,
but was positive the fellow had not been on the streets since. Connors
he did not know, but if the man was Major McDonald's driver, then he
was missing all right, for Captain Barrett had had to employ a
livery-man to drive Mrs. Dupont back to the fort. No, there was no
other lady with her; he was sure, for he had watched them get into the
carriage.

The two troopers were no more fortunate in their results, but had
succeeded in stirring up greater excitement during their exploration,
several irate individuals, roughly aroused from sleep, exhibiting
fighting propensities, which had cost one a blackened eye, and the
other the loss of a tooth. Both, however, had enjoyed the occasion,
and appeared anxious for more. Having exhausted the possibilities of
the town, the soldiers procured lanterns, and, leaving the horses
behind, began exploring the prairie. In this labor they were assisted
by the marshal, and a few aroused citizens hastily impressed into a
posse. The search was a thorough one, but the ground nearby was so cut
up by hoofs and wheels as to yield no definite results. Hamlin,
obsessed with the belief that whatever had occurred had been engineered
by Dupont, and recalling the fact that the man was once a ranchman
somewhere to the southward, jumped to the conclusion that the fellow
would naturally head in that direction, seeking familiar country in
which to hide. With the two troopers he pushed on toward the river,
choosing the upper ford as being the most likely choice of the
fugitives. The trampled mud of the north bank exhibited fresh tracks,
but none he could positively identify. However, a party on horseback
had crossed within