“Now,” she resumed, “for the rest of it. I called at the post-office for mail. They had a letter there for Buffalo Bill, and it was marked ‘urgent.’ The postmaster knew that Buffalo Bill was at the Three-ply Mine, and that the Double D Ranch was not a great way from the mine. So he gave me the letter, and asked me to take it to the mining-camp and deliver it. That is the errand that brought me in this direction. And it may be that that letter is what those two masked men were chasing me for, and trying to get. Who knows? It’s a guess, and it may be a good one.” “I’m all scrambled up erbout these hyar doin’s,” mumbled Nomad, rubbing his chin perplexedly. “Whyever should thet feller want ter run off with Annie McGowan?” “Did you hear,” asked Dell, “that Annie was engaged to be married to Bernritter? That she engaged herself to him before she went to ’Frisco?” “I heerd thet, yes.” “I always looked upon Bernritter as a scoundrel,” continued Dell, “and always doubted his loyally and intentions. Annie doesn’t know about how Bernritter has been unmasked during the last few days. So it seems to me that this stealing of the buckboard _may_ have been engineered by Bernritter, and that the man who met Annie at the railroad-station _may_ have been executing his treachery on Bernritter’s behalf.” “Why?” Dell pulled fiercely at one of her gauntlets. “I don’t know,” she said, “but I’m going to find out; what’s more, after I deliver Buffalo Bill’s letter, I’m going to take the trail and find Annie and get her back. There’s a villainous plot of some kind on foot, and I’ll bet something that Bernritter and Bascomb are back of it.” What the girl had said had had a tremendous effect upon Golightly and Nick Nomad. “Let me tell ye, gal,” said the old trapper, “ef things aire like ye figger out, Buffler Bill an’ his pards’ll also hev er hand in ther game. Don’t let thet git past yer guard fer a minit.” The girl’s face brightened. “Do you really think Buffalo Bill will help?” she asked. “Thet’s Buffler, fer ye. Arter he hears yer story, take my word for it, he’ll be as anxious as ye aire ter do somethin’ fer Miss McGowan. Anyways”--and Nomad waved his hand toward a valley which lay in front of them and contained the “plant” of the Three-ply Mine, “we’re clost ter whar Buffler is now, an’ et won’t be long afore he’ll tell ye hisself what he’ll do.” Quickening their pace, the three riders hastened down among the mine buildings and laid their course direct for the adobe office. CHAPTER XIII. THE NOTE AND THE ARROW. “There’s not a particle of doubt, in my own mind, about Bernritter and Bascomb being somewhere in these Arizona hills, Buffalo Bill.”