"That's the solemn truth," asserted another. "He has not come back since he left just after Fred." Satisfied that the employes were not deceiving them, the spokesman of the posse ordered four of his men to remain in the store, against the return of the elder Consollas, telling the others to follow him to the tent where the merchant had made his accusation and had been knocked unconscious by Jesse's terrific blow. Mystified by the actions of the men who had set out to apprehend the supposed horse thieves, the crowd surged about them as they emerged from the store, demanding enlightenment. An effective barrier between the posse and their ponies, they resisted the attempts of the men to force their way through. Flushing with anger, fearing that should he tell them the facts some of the shopkeeper's friends might warn him, giving him the chance to escape, the spokesman consulted with his fellows before replying: "When we get Consollas we'll tell you everything. The sooner we lay hands on him, the sooner you'll know." By making the one contingent upon the other, the leader of the posse had still further roused the curiosity of the sojourners at the Springs. And the shrewdness of the move was quickly apparent. "Everybody hunt for Consollas," cried a voice from the crowd. Instantly men, women and children turned and scurried in all directions, bent on locating the storekeeper while the horsemen vaulted into their saddles and dashed for the campground. But when they arrived at the spot where they had left the unconscious merchant he was nowhere to be seen. With ejaculations of disappointment they began to question the occupants of the nearby tents. One after another declared that they had not seen Consollas, explaining that they had either followed the crowd to see the posse start and had only just returned or had been too busy to notice. In despair, the searchers gave up the task, going back to where they had left their mounts when a little girl ran up. "I seen the man," she piped in her excited, childish voice, "he got up jes' as the mens rode away. He looked roun' 's though he was lost an' rubbed his head an' felt of his nose. He said an awful word an' got up. I was standin' watchin' him an' when he seen me, he asked what had happened. When I tole him he said some more bad words an' runned into the woods." By the time the little girl had finished her story she was the centre of an excited throng. "That settles all chance of getting the sneak for the present," declared the leader of the squad of man-hunters. "All we can do is to wait till he comes back--if he ever does, which I doubt." "What's the trouble? Tell us what he did!" clamoured the crowd. "You might as well, Jeff," chorused several of the posse. Mounting his horse, that he might the better be heard, the man quickly narrated the meeting with the vanished merchant's son, his actions, the appearance of the roan and Fred's confession.