We got Barrett’s arm into a sling, and, as Martin’s hurt wasn’t serious, we lost no time in gettin’ away.

“They simply beat us to it,” complained Barrett, as we rode south.  “You all had jest started when young Long Hair grabs the sack and ducks through the crowd, and the whole bunch turns loose on us at once.  We wasn’t expectin’ anything so early in the game, and they winged me the first clatter.  I thought sure it was oft with me when I got this bullet in the shoulder, but I used the gun in my left hand and broke for the nearest pony.”

“They got me, too, before I saw what was up,” added Martin; “but I tore out of there like a jack-rabbit.  It was all done so cussed quick that the first thing I knew I’d straddled my horse and was makin’ tracks.  Who’d a thought them durned Indians was dishonest enough fer a trick like that?”

Then Donnelly spoke up and says:  “Boys, as fur as the coin goes, we’re out an’ injured; we jest made a ’Mexican stand-off’—­lost our money, but saved our lives—­and mighty lucky at that, from appearances.  What I want to know now is, how we’re all goin’ to get home, clean across the State of Texas, without a dollar in the outfit, and no assets but our guns and the nags.”

That was a sure tough proposition, and we had left it teetotally out of calculations.  We’d bet every bean on that race, not seein’ how we could lose.  In them days there wasn’t a railroad in that section, ranches were scatterin’, and people weren’t givin’ pink teas to every stranger that rode up—­especially when they were as hard-lookin’ as we were.

“We’ve got to eat, and so’s the horses,” says Hollis, “but no rancher is goin’ to welcome with open arms as disreputable an outfit as we are.  Two men shot up, and the rest of us without beddin’, grub, money, or explanations.  Them’s what we need—­explanations.  I don’t exactly see how we’re goin’ to explain our fix to the honest hay-diggers, either.  Everybody’ll think some sheriff is after us, and two to one they’ll put some officer on our trail, and we’ll have more trouble.  I believe I’ve had all I want for awhile.”

“I’ll tell you how we’ll work it,” I says.  “One of us’ll be the sheriff of Guadalupe County, back home, with three deputies, bringin’ back a prisoner that we’ve chased across the State.  We’ll ride up to a ranch an’ demand lodgin’ for ourselves and prisoner in the name of the State of Texas and say that we’ll pay with vouchers on the county in the morning.”

“No, sir! not fer me,” says Martin.  “I’m not goin’ in fer forgery.  It’s all right to practice a little mild deception on our red brothers, as we figgered on doing, but I’m not goin’ to try to flimflam the State of Texas.  Our troubles ‘d only be startin’ if we began that game.”