me I climbed further up the steep mountain, and knowing that I had given them the slip, and feeling certain I could keep out of their way, I at once struck out for Horseshoe Station, which was twenty-five miles distant.  I had very hard travelling at first, but upon reaching lower and better ground I made good headway, walking all night and getting into the station just before daylight —­footsore, 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 in pursuit of the horse-thieves.  Shortly after daylight twenty well-armed stage-drivers, stock-tenders, and ranchmen were galloping in the direction of the dugout.  Of course I went along with the party, notwithstanding that I was very tired and had had hardly any rest at all.  We had a brisk ride, and arrived in the immediate vicinity of the thieves’ rendezvous at about ten o’clock in the morning.  We approached the dugout cautiously, but upon getting in close proximity to it we could discover no horses in sight.  We could see the door of the dugout standing wide open, and we marched up to the place.  No one was inside, and the general appearance of everything indicated that the place had been deserted—­that the birds had flown.  Such, indeed, proved to be the case.

We found a new-made grave, where they had evidently buried the man whom I had shot.  We made a thorough search of the whole vicinity, and finally found their trail going southeast in the direction of Denver.  As it would have been useless to follow them, we rode back to the station; and thus ended my eventful bear-hunt.  We had no trouble for some time after that.

A friend who was once a station agent tells two more adventures of
Cody’s: 
        It had become known in some mysterious manner, past finding
        out, that there was to be a large sum of money sent through
        by Pony Express, and that was what the road agents were after.

After killing the other rider, and failing to get the treasure, Cody very naturally thought that they would make another effort to secure it; so when he reached the next relay station he walked about a while longer than was his wont.

This was to perfect a little plan he had decided upon, which was to take a second pair of saddle-pouches and put something in them and leave them in sight, while those that held the valuable express packages he folded up in his saddle-blanket in such a way that they could not be seen unless a search was made for them.  The truth was, Cody knew that he carried the valuable package, and it was his duty to protect it with his life.

So with the clever scheme to outwit the road agents, if held up, he started once more upon his flying trip.  He carried his revolver ready for instant use and flew along