Flag-pole Jack looked at his companion. Sands nodded, and then the tall outlaw replied: “You ain’t on to the sitivation, Cody. I’ll put you in line. When Black-face Ned struck the hole of his old pards, me’n Shorty an’ Bat Wason—you ain’t seen Bat yet, but yer likely ter meet up with him afore long—thar wa’n’t no Injuns thar. They was camped five miles beyond. See? Well, yesterday Thunder Cloud, all by his lonesome, meanders inter ther hole. He sees ther gal what Ned is a-herdin’, an’ he corrals her name. Jumpin’ Jiminetty, but you orter seen him when he heerd it war ‘Hayden.’ The kunnel was onto his black list, you wanter understand. Right away he ’lowed that Hayden war not fur away. ‘In course,’ said he, ‘he’ll follow you, Ned, an’ I wonder that you ain’t had scouts out a-safeguardin’ your retreat.’ “Ned sniffed, an’ said he wasn’t worryin’ any erbout a pursuit by ther kunnel. But Thunder Cloud stuck to his guns. He induced Wason ter trot to ther Apache camp an’ tell ther reds ter hike up ter Ned’s hole, an’ yarly this mornin’, afore the Indians appeared, ther chief lit out fer ther desert. Now, yer have it,” concluded the speaker. “Ther Injuns aire with Ned now, an’ Thunder Cloud at ther head of ’em with blood in his eye.” Buffalo Bill was disturbed by this statement. His eyes sought Wild Bill’s. The same thought was in the mind of each. Without a word, Wild Bill turned, left the room, and, going to one of the cliff openings, looked out into the ravine. Buffalo Bill was at his side when he said: “If that scoundrel told the truth, and I think he did, Black-face Ned will not run away. He will hunt us.” As he spoke, there came the report of several shots. The firing was about half a mile away down the ravine toward the cañon. “My scouts have bumped against a scouting party from the enemy,” remarked Wild Bill. “I’ll wait five minutes, and if I don’t see my Indians, I’ll start out with all my force.” “Bad plan,” replied Buffalo Bill, with a shake of the head. “You might fall into a trap. Better get the lay of the land before starting. I have another, and I think a more sensible, scheme. I’ll go out alone. The bushes are thick in the ravine, and I have been on the plains and in the mountains long enough to know how to work. I shan’t try to get on the trail to the cañon, for that would bring me into the zone of danger. No, I’ll take to the high ground, and try to spy out the location of the enemy without exposing myself as your Comanches must have done.” Wild Bill tried to dissuade his old partner from undertaking the work, but Buffalo Bill was determined, and at last Wild Bill gave in. “But you’ll understand this,” the latter said, with lips set in grim determination: “If you fail to show up in an hour, out I go and all my Yelpers with me.” Five minutes went by, and there was no sign of the Comanche scouts. There had been no more firing, and the king of scouts concluded that the Comanches had either been killed or taken prisoners.