-tails. He'd planted Foy's
horse, I reckon. But it can't be proved, so I let him go. He'll have
to walk in; that's one good thing."

"But Foy--where do you figure Foy's gone?"

"Maybe he simply was not," suggested Pringle, "like Enoch when he was
translated into all European languages, including the Scandinavian."

"Pringle, if you say another word I'll have you gagged!" said the
exasperated sheriff. "Don't you reckon, Nueces, that Cowan brought Foy
a barefooted horse? He can't have gone on afoot or you'd have seen his
tracks."

"Sheriff, you certainly are an easy mark!" returned Nueces, in great
disgust. "Foy didn't go on afoot or horseback, because he was never
there. I've told you twice: Cowan left that calico horse on purpose
for us to find. Vorhis is Foy's friend. Can't you see, if Foy had
tried to get away by hard riding he would have had a fresh horse, not
the one he rode from Las Uvas, and you wouldn't have found a penful of
fresh horses to chase him with? Not in a thousand years! That was to
make it nice and easy for you to ride on--a six-year-old kid could see
through it! It's a wonder you didn't all fall for it and chase away.
No, sir! Foy either stopped down on the river and sent his horse on to
fool us--or, more likely, he's up in the Buttes. Did you look there?"

"I sent the boys round to out sign. I didn't feel justified in hunting
out the rough places till we had more men. Too much cover for him."

"And none for you, I s'pose? Mamma! but you're a fine sheriff! Look
now: After we started back here we sighted a dust comin' 'way up
north. We went over, and 'twas Hargis, the Major's buckaroo, throwin'
in a bunch from the round-up. He didn't know nothin' and was not right
sure of that--till I mentioned your reward. Soon as ever I mentioned
twenty-five hundred, he loosened up right smart."

"Well? Did he know where Foy was?"

"No; but he knew of the place where I judge Foy is, this very yet.
Gosh!" said Nueces River in deep disgust, "it beats hell what men will
do for a little dirty money! Seems there's a cave near the top of the
least of them two buttes--the roughest one--a cave with two mouths,
one right on the big top. Nobody much knows where it is, only the V H
outfit."

Pringle had edged across the room. He now plucked at Bell Applegate's
sleeve.

"Say, is that right about that reward--twenty-five hundred?" he
whispered. His eyes glistened.

"Forty-five," said Bell behind his hand. "The Maso