“Any relation to Bill Snecker?”

“His son.”

“What’d you hide here for?”

He appeared to grow sullen.

“Reckoned I’d be as safe in Sampson’s as anywheres.”

“Ahuh!  You’re taking a long chance,” I replied, and he never knew, or any of the others, just how long a chance that was.

Sight of Steele’s bloody breast remained with me, and I had something sinister to combat.  This was no time for me to reveal myself or to show unusual feeling or interest for Steele.

As Steele had abandoned his search, I had nothing to do now but let the others decide what disposition was to be made of Snecker.

“Wright, what’ll you do with him?” I queried, as if uncertain, now the capture was made.  I let Snecker go and sheathed my weapon.

That seemed a signal for him to come to life.  I guessed he had not much fancied the wide and somewhat variable sweep of that cocked gun.

“I’ll see to that,” replied Wright gruffly, and he pushed Snecker in front of him into the hall.  I followed them out into the court at the back of the house.

As I had very little further curiosity I did not wait to see where they went, but hurried back to relieve Miss Sampson and Sally.

I found them as I had left them—­Sally quiet, pale, Miss Sampson nervous and distressed.  I soon calmed their fears of any further trouble or possible disturbance.  Miss Sampson then became curious and wanted to know who the rustler was.

“How strange he should come here,” she said several times.

“Probably he’d run this way or thought he had a better chance to hide where there was dancing and confusion,” I replied glibly.

I wondered how much longer I would find myself keen to shunt her mind from any channel leading to suspicion.

“Would papa have arrested him?” she asked.

“Colonel Sampson might have made it hot for him,” I replied frankly, feeling that if what I said had a double meaning it still was no lie.

“Oh, I forgot—­the Ranger!” she exclaimed suddenly.  “That awful sight—­the whole front of him bloody!  Russ, how could he stand up under such a wound?  Do you think it’ll kill him?”

“That’s hard to say.  A man like Steele can stand a lot.”

“Russ, please go find him!  See how it is with him!” she said, almost pleadingly.

I started, glad of the chance and hurried down toward the town.

There was a light in the little adobe house where he lived, and proceeding cautiously, so as to be sure no one saw me, I went close and whistled low in a way he would recognize.  Then he opened the door and I went in.

“Hello, son!” he said.  “You needn’t have worried.  Sling a blanket over that window so no one can see in.”

He had his shirt off and had been in the act of bandaging a wound that the bullet had cut in his shoulder.

“Let me tie that up,” I said, taking the strips of linen.  “Ahuh!  Shot you from behind, didn’t he?”