The little man was sure that was all he would care to do. He even asked if there would not possibly be danger, even though he stood outside in the jail corridor. Shepard laughed hoarsely at that; it was not a joke, it seemed, for the little man actually trembled. “Well, he’s shore some quick on the shoot,” avowed Shepard; “but y’ needn’t be afraid of him; he ain’t got a gun on him. Been searched thoroughly; I seen to it m’self.” When they came to the cell occupied by Juniper Joe the little man stood back against the opposite wall of the corridor, apparently fearing that Juniper Joe might reach out his long arms and seize him, like some caged gorilla. Shepard stepped up to the cell door, thus putting himself in front of the little man. The jailer was hazy as to what took place after that; but something whacked him on the back of the head, and he fell against the cell door, then tumbled heavily to the floor. When he came to himself, half an hour afterward, he was still hazy; but he could see that the cell door was open and that Juniper Joe was gone. Feeling in his pockets, he found that his keys and his pistols were gone, too. That aroused him. He delivered himself of a howl that sounded like a war whoop, and flinging himself out of the corridor, raced down to his office and the outer gate, passing on his way a guard who had been stationed in the corridor. It is to be stated that the guard was lying on the floor, and was as unconscious as Shepard had been a few minutes before. When Shepard reached the outer gate he found it locked. He had no keys--and was locked in his own jail. He now set up a terrible howling, which brought the other guards and caused citizens to gather round outside. The upshot of it was that when the outer gate was opened, and Shepard got into the street, he found that Juniper Joe and Osgood Fleming were nowhere to be found. Two men had been seen, by people in Gopher Gabe’s saloon, to issue from the jail; one being Osgood Fleming, the other a tall man wearing a linen duster and a soft crush hat. “It was Juniper Joe!” howled Shepard. “Though where he got the duster and hat beats me.” “Why, if that feller that went in was a fake,” said Gopher Gabe, “he must ’a’ furnished Joe with the things.” “But he couldn’t--he didn’t have ’em; didn’t have any place to carry ’em, er hide ’em.” “He might have had ’em in his high hat,” said Gopher Gabe, smiling. “A linen duster and soft hat might be rolled up into a very little ball.” Shepard smote himself on the forehead, sank weakly on a bench, and called loudly for a drink, to steady his shaking nerves. “I’m a fool!” he howled. “I’m a blithering idiot!” A crowd was gathering round him. Gopher Gabe brought the drink himself.