lands behind him he
dismounted and, climbing a rocky eminence, carefully surveyed his
surroundings. An object upon the river caught his attention, and after a
moment's scrutiny he made out a man in a skiff. The boat was close in
shore and the man was evidently scanning the bank. He was still a
half-mile above, and clambering hastily down, Purdy led the horses into
a patch of scrub a few hundred yards from the river. Loosening the rope,
he allowed the body of the unconscious girl to slip to the ground. He
secured her feet and hands with a few quick turns of the rope, hobbled
the horses, and hastening to the bank concealed himself in a bunch of
willows. "If it's the pilgrim," he muttered, "--well, it's my turn
now." He drew the gun from its holster and twirled the cylinder with
his thumb. The boat approached slowly, the man resting on his oars
except at such times as it was necessary to force the light craft out of
the clutch of backwaters and eddies. Not until he was nearly opposite
did Purdy see his face: "Long Bill," he growled, and returning the gun,
wriggled from the willows and hailed him. Long Bill shot his boat into a
pool of still water and surveyed the man on the bank.

"That you, Purdy?" he drawled.

"Yeh, it's me. What's yer hurry?"

Long Bill pondered. He had no wish to run ashore. In the skiff were
upwards of a hundred of the dodgers hastily struck off at the Timber
City printing office, which proclaimed the reward for the Texan and the
thousand-dollar reward for information concerning the whereabouts of
Alice Endicott. Long Bill was canny. He knew the river and he had
figured pretty accurately the probable drift of the ferry boat. He
expected to come upon it any time. And he wanted that reward for
himself. The hundred dollars offered for the Texan did not interest him
at all, but if he could find out what had become of the girl, he could,
with no risk to himself, claim the larger reward. Why acquaint Purdy
with the fact of the reward? Purdy had a horse and he would ride on
ahead and scour the bank. Of course, later, if he should fail to find
the boat, or if its occupants had escaped, he would distribute the
bills. He wanted to see the Texan caught--he owed him a grudge anyway.

"I got to be goin' on down--got some business below," he answered.

"Huntin' yer ferry?"

Long Bill glared at the questioner. Purdy must have found the flat-boat
or he would not have known it was missing. And if he had found th