Going up the gulch again, he entered the side cañon and went on to the point where he had left the sentinel. He hurried as he walked, for the time was precious. He found the fellow writhing and twisting at his bonds, in a vain hope to extricate himself from his unpleasant position. “Ho, my man, I’m back sooner than you expected me!” he said, as he once more bent over the rascal. “Well, I’ve come to make a trade with you.” Again he showed his revolver, then took the gag from the man’s mouth. “What d’yer want?” the fellow growled, in a slow way, for his mouth was sore and stiff. “Your clothing. I’m going to take these cords off of you--every one of them, so that you can strip. I want you to slide out of this suit as quick as you can.” The man was puzzled. He began to hope, though, that a chance of escape would now be given him. When Buffalo Bill had removed the cords he covered the man with his revolver. “Now, my friend,” he said quietly and sternly, “you’ll do a lightning shift out of those garments, or I’ll feel compelled to pump some lead into you. What I want with those clothes is none of your business; it’s enough for you to know that I want them.” Fear of that deadly revolver caused the man to begin to strip without questioning. “Now, you may have this blanket, in place of the clothes. It will keep you warm all right, in this summer weather, and keep the mosquitoes off of you, perhaps, if they are many up here.” Having said this, he retied the rascal and once more gagged him completely; though the man did a good deal of grumbling, and was only kept quiet by fear of instant death. Buffalo Bill now arrayed himself in the garments of the sentinel, even to the hat and found, fortunately, that, though he was a large man, the sentinel was about as large, and the clothing fitted fairly well. “Not a bad-looking double of this fellow, if I keep my face concealed,” was the scout’s thought. Then he left the sentinel, and left his own clothing in a niche in the rock, and, carrying the one blanket that remained, went back into the gulch trail and on toward the camp of Ricardo. He did not stop until he was in the gorge and once more opposite the cabins of the outlaws. The moon was rising, and its light began to illuminate the little valley holding the outlaw camp. Within the shadow of the gorge Buffalo Bill halted, to take a full survey of all that lay before him. Not so many outlaws were to be seen. Most of them were probably eating their evening meal. But within the cabin of Ricardo, at which the scout looked longest, several men were visible through the window that looked outward toward the gorge. Then Buffalo Bill began to work out one of the most daring plans of his daring career. Stepping boldly out of the gorge and trusting to the outlaw’s clothing to deceive the sentinel, he walked slowly toward the cabin.