"Howdy, Dale," drawled Wilson. "Reckon you're a little previous on me.""Sssssh! Not so loud," said the hunter, in low voice.
"You're Jim Wilson?"
"Shore am. Say, Dale, you showed up soon. Or did you jest happen to run acrost us?""I've trailed you. Wilson, I'm after the girl.""I knowed thet when I seen you!"
The cougar seemed actuated by the threatening position of his master, and he opened his mouth, showing great yellow fangs, and spat at Wilson. The outlaw apparently had no fear of Dale or the cocked rifle, but that huge, snarling cat occasioned him uneasiness.
"Wilson, I've heard you spoken of as a white outlaw," said Dale.
"Mebbe I am. But shore I'll be a scared one in a minit.
Dale, he's goin' to jump me!"
"The cougar won't jump you unless I make him. Wilson, if Ilet you go will you get the girl for me?"
"Wal, lemme see. Supposin' I refuse?" queried Wilson, shrewdly.
"Then, one way or another, it's all up with you.""Reckon I 'ain't got much choice. Yes, I'll do it. But, Dale, are you goin' to take my word for thet an' let me go back to Anson?""Yes, I am. You're no fool. An' I believe you're square.
I've got Anson and his gang corralled. You can't slip me --not in these woods. I could run off your horses -- pick you off one by one -- or turn the cougar loose on you at night.""Shore. It's your game. Anson dealt himself this hand. . . .
Between you an' me, Dale, I never liked the deal.""Who shot Riggs? . . . I found his body."
"Wal, yours truly was around when thet come off," replied Wilson, with an involuntary little shudder. Some thought made him sick.
"The girl? Is she safe -- unharmed?" queried Dale, hurriedly.
"She's shore jest as safe an' sound as when she was home.
Dale, she's the gamest kid thet ever breathed! Why, no one could hev ever made me believe a girl, a kid like her, could hev the nerve she's got. Nothin's happened to her 'cept Riggs hit her in the mouth. . . . I killed him for thet. . .
. An', so help me, God, I believe it's been workin' in me to save her somehow! Now it'll not be so hard.""But how?" demanded Dale.
"Lemme see. . . . Wal, I've got to sneak her out of camp an' meet you. Thet's all."
"It must be done quick."
"But, Dale, listen," remonstrated Wilson, earnestly. "Too quick 'll be as bad as too slow. Snake is sore these days, gittin' sorer all the time. He might savvy somethin', if Iain't careful, an' kill the girl or do her harm. I know these fellars. They're all ready to go to pieces. An' shore I must play safe. Shore it'd be safer to have a plan."Wilson's shrewd, light eyes gleamed with an idea. He was about to lower one of his upraised hands, evidently to point to the cougar, when he thought better of that.
"Anson's scared of cougars. Mebbe we can scare him an' the gang so it 'd be easy to sneak the girl off. Can you make thet big brute do tricks? Rush the camp at night an' squall an' chase off the horses?""I'll guarantee to scare Anson out of ten years' growth,"replied Dale.
"Shore it's a go, then," resumed Wilson, as if glad. "I'll post the girl -- give her a hunch to do her part. You sneak up to-night jest before dark. I'll hev the gang worked up.
An' then you put the cougar to his tricks, whatever you want. When the gang gits wild I'll grab the girl an' pack her off down heah or somewheres aboot an' whistle fer you. .
. . But mebbe thet ain't so good. If' thet cougar comes pilin' into camp he might jump me instead of one of the gang. An' another hunch. He, might slope up on me in the dark when I was tryin' to find you. Shore thet ain't appealin' to me.""Wilson, this cougar is a pet," replied Dale. "You think he's dangerous, but he's not. No more than a kitten. He only looks fierce. He has never been hurt by a person an' he's never fought anythin' himself but deer an' bear. I can make him trail any scent. But the truth is I couldn't make him hurt you or anybody. All the same, he can be made to scare the hair off any one who doesn't know him.""Shore thet settles me. I'll be havin' a grand joke while them fellars is scared to death. . . . Dale, you can depend on me. An' I'm beholdin' to you fer what 'll square me some with myself. . . . To-night, an' if it won't work then, to-morrer night shore!"Dale lowered the rifle. The big cougar spat again. Wilson dropped his hands and, stepping forward, split the green wall of intersecting spruce branches. Then he turned up the ravine toward the glen. Once there, in sight of his comrades, his action and expression changed.
"Hosses all thar, Jim?" asked Anson, as he picked up, his cards.
"Shore. They act awful queer, them hosses," replied. Wilson.
"They're afraid of somethin'."
"A-huh! Silvertip mebbe," muttered Anson. "Jim, You jest keep watch of them hosses. We'd be done if some tarnal varmint stampeded them.""Reckon I'm elected to do all the work now," complained Wilson, "while you card-sharps cheat each other." Rustle the hosses -- an' water an' fire-wood. Cook an' wash. Hey?""No one I ever seen can do them camp tricks any better 'n Jim Wilson," replied Anson.
"Jim, you're a lady's man an' thar's our pretty hoodoo over thar to feed an' amoose," remarked Shady Jones, with a smile that disarmed his speech.
The outlaws guffawed.
"Git out, Jim, you're breakin' up the game," said Moze, who appeared loser.
"Wal, thet gurl would starve if it wasn't fer me," replied Wilson, genially, and he walked over toward her, beginning to address her, quite loudly, as he approached. "Wal, miss, I'm elected cook an' I'd shore like to heah what you fancy fer dinner."The outlaws heard, for they guffawed again. "Haw! Haw! if Jim ain't funny!" exclaimed Anson.
The girl looked up amazed. Wilson was winking at her, and when he got near he began to speak rapidly and low.
"I jest met Dale down in the woods with his pet cougar. He's after you. I'm goin' to help him git you safe away. Now you do your part. I want you to pretend you've gone crazy.
Savvy? Act out of your head! Shore I don't care what you do or say, only act crazy. An' don't be scared. We're goin' to scare the gang so I'll hev a chance to sneak you away.
To-night or to-morrow -- shore."