“I suppose I ought to have let her gone by the stage,” he said. “Likely if I had the stage would have been held up, and the stuff taken, and instead of one dead man and another in the hospital, the cañon down there beyond Stag Mountain would have been full of them.” “So, it’s your opinion that somebody who knew the secret, leaked?” said Buffalo Bill, speaking up now, to note the effect. “Oh! you’re here?” said the agent. To the scout, perhaps unduly suspicious just then, it seemed an unfortunate remark, as he was sure that the agent had seen him when he entered with his pards. “What is _your_ opinion?” he asked. “Somebody blabbed, of course! But I hope you don’t think _I_ did it.” “It’s an uncalled-for statement,” said the scout. “I’m not accusing anybody--simply asking questions.” “Well, I don’t know anything about it! About all I know right now is that it puts me in a hole, and I’ll likely lose my job. Why, there was more than fifty thousand dollars’ worth of stuff in those bags the burros carried!” “So I knew.” “And, of course, the Wells Fargo company air going to make a hot time about it.” “I think they ought to.” The people in the room, loafers and all, were staring at the tall scout. “It don’t make any difference to me about that,” spoke up Juniper Joe. “I surrendered my stuff into your hands; and, of course, I’m goin’ to see that the company makes good the loss; that’s all. You’d do the same, if me.” “But you forget that it was _you_ who suggested the plan of sendin’ it out with them prospectors!” the agent shot at him. “I thought it was a good scheme; ’twould have been, if somebody hadn’t been too free with his mouth. I ain’t sayin’ who it was. But somebody on the inside hustled the news to the road agents. That ain’t my fault; and my scheme cain’t be blamed fer it.” “Oh, well! you’ve put in your claim, and that settles it!” the agent snapped back. “It don’t settle it until I see the company’s money!” Juniper Joe told him; then went out of the office. When Buffalo Bill and his pards left, after a talk with the agent, they were no wiser then when they went. CHAPTER IV. SUSPICIONS. Buffalo Bill and his pards tried to “jump a trail” that afternoon and evening, without success. The scout talked with Brown, the wounded man in the hospital; but got no additional information.