My first plan of escape having failed, I now determined upon another.

[Illustration:  MY ESCAPE FROM THE HORSE THIEVES.]

I had both of my revolvers with me, the thieves not having thought it necessary to search me.  It was now quite dark, and I purposely dropped one of the sage-hens, and asked the man behind me to pick it up.  While he was hunting for it on the ground, I quickly pulled out one of my Colt’s revolvers and struck him a tremendous blow on the back of the head, knocking him senseless to the ground.  I then instantly wheeled around, and saw that the man ahead who was only a few feet distant, had heard the blow and had turned to see what was the matter, his hand upon his revolver.  We faced each other at about the same instant, but before he could fire, as he tried to do, I shot him dead in his tracks.  Then jumping on my horse, I rode down the creek as fast as possible, through the darkness and over the rough ground and rocks.

The other outlaws in the dug-out, having heard the shot which I had fired, knew there was trouble, and they all came rushing down the creek.  I suppose, by the time they reached the man whom I had knocked down, that he had recovered and hurriedly told them of what had happened.  They did not stay with the man whom I had shot, but came on in hot pursuit of me.  They were not mounted, and were making better time down the rough canon than I was on horseback.  From time to time I heard them gradually gaining on me.

At last they had come so near that I saw that I must abandon my horse.  So I jumped to the ground, and gave him a hard slap with the butt of one of my revolvers, which started him on down the valley, while I scrambled up the mountain side.  I had not ascended more than forty feet when I heard my pursuers coming closer and closer; I quickly hid behind a large pine tree, and in a few moments they all rushed by me, being led on by the rattling footsteps of my horse, which they heard ahead of them.  Soon I heard them firing at random at the horse, as they no doubt supposed I was still seated on his back.  As soon as they had passed me I climbed further up the steep mountain, and knowing that I had given them the slip, and feeling certain that I could keep out of their way, I at once struck out for Horseshoe station, which was twenty-five miles distant.  I had hard traveling at first, but upon reaching lower and better ground, I made good headway, walking all night and getting into the station just before daylight,—­foot-sore, weary, and generally played out.

I immediately waked up the men of the station and told them of my adventure.  Slade himself happened to be there, and he at once organized a party to go out and hunt up the horse-thieves.  Shortly after daylight twenty well-armed stage-drivers, stock-tenders and ranchmen were galloping in the direction of the dug-out.  Of course I went along with the party, notwithstanding I was very tired and had had hardly