Black John had gone into camp there, and was cooking some meat he had found on the Indian pony. He was not only tired, but by this time ravenously hungry. “Don’t be skeered,” he said, when he discovered that Lena was taking note of her surroundings. “I don’t mean any harm to ye, not in the least.” She started up, staring about; then turned to him. Her face was corpselike in its pallor, and she swayed as she stood up. “Then, why did you bring me here; and why keep me here?” she said. “Why don’t you join your men?” Black John stooped to sniff the roasting meat before replying. “Now I’ll tell ye,” he said; “and mebbe you won’t think it’s so bad. I was your friend from the very first, but didn’t darst show it. The men wanted you, and wanted your emeralds. What become of the emeralds I don’t know, and jes’ now I don’t know where the other men aire. They was scattered in that rumpus with the Injuns. You recollect the Injuns, and what fools we was, in ridin’ up on ’em?” He stroked his beard, ruminating. “The boys was scattered by the Injuns. I got one of the Injun ponies, and we come here on it; and I reckon we’re safe enough fer a while.” “Won’t you leave me here,” she begged, “or take me back to my friends?” “What friends?” “Mr. Cody, and--and the men who were with him. You don’t know where Bruce Clayton is?” “Nary, I don’t. He was with our crowd, when the Injuns hit us; but where he went, and what become of him, I don’t know no more than you do.” He inspected the meat. “Won’t you have somethin’ to eat?” he asked, taking it from the fire and poking into it with his knife. “This belonged to the Injun that owned the mustang, but I reckon as he meant to eat it himself he didn’t pizen it. You look’s if you needed to eat somethin’.” “I couldn’t swallow a mouthful,” she protested. “Won’t you please let me go, and let me try to find my way back?” “That’s foolish, don’t ye think? Better eat some o’ this meat. It’s good, and you need the stren’th it’ll give ye. Let me carve ye out a bit of it.” She protested again that she could not eat. The outlaw seemed to want to argue the matter with her. What he really wanted was to hear her talk, for he liked her voice, and to make her forget if possible her condition. He was wondering how he could gain her good will, and perhaps her liking. His ideas of women were singular. He did not see why this girl might not come to like him as much as he now liked her. “I’ve seen sich,” he told himself. “Put a couple o’ strange dogs together, and they’ll fight like time; but after they git acquainted they’re li’ble to be the best of friends. And other animals the same way. Why not humans?” “I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he said, beginning to eat the roasted meat. “I’ll try to find yer friends for ye, and hand you over to ’em.” She sprang up and came toward him, wildly excited. “Oh, if you will--if you will!” He smiled into her flushed face.