The other relaxed and came nearer. "You tryin' to get shot?" came a low, tense voice. "What you doin'?" "I had to be _dead shore_ who it was that's tied up like a bundle of trash in th' waggin," answered Two-Spot. "You ridin' south bothered me. I'll never forget this, _never_!" "That's th' first thing you got to do--till you hear about it from somebody else," replied Johnny, feeling at his saddle. "Here," he said, untying a Winchester and holding it out. "I promised you a rifle--an' this is somethin' else you want to forget. I got one of his six-guns tied under my slicker roll--you see that you don't forget that it belongs to me. I'll give you th' cartridges tomorrow--they're in th' belt over my shoulder. You rustle under that floor, it's near daylight." A grin of delight swept over Two-Spot's face as he grasped the weapon, and he scurried to his nest. But there was one thing more to make his happiness complete--he had to see the start of the wagon. And he did not have to wait long. With the first blush of day Old Buffalo appeared, hitched up his horses and urged them to begin their long pull to Highbank. The wagon squeaked and rumbled and passed from the watcher's sight; and when the last sound died out in the south, Two-Spot went to his blankets to lie on his back and gloat over the miseries of Wolf as his vivid imagination pictured them. Down on the Highbank trail, bound and helpless, and exhausted by his frantic efforts to free himself, Wolf Forbes seethed with rage, which later would burn itself out and bring an inert apathy to ease him; and two things seared his memory: The mirth of the man who had trapped him, and the sound of a horse's hoofs pounding at top speed down the trail. They had gone southward, towards the Bar H, the Triangle, and the faint trail leading to the Double X. With these meager clues he built several edifices of speculation, not one of which could be singled out in preference to the others. His friends were notorious practical jokers, and he had done his share at it. The Double X outfit hated him, and Nelson had cause to wish him out of the way if his suspicions concerning Nelson were well founded. Would his unthinking friends carry a joke so far; would the Double X think of and carry out the play; and if Nelson felt that he was in danger, would he be fool enough to do a thing like that? In his place Wolf would have killed. But he would hunt out the perpetrator, whoever he was, when he came back--_and he was going back_! CHAPTER XI "THE TINKLING OF THE CAMEL'S BELL" Johnny had a late breakfast, according to George. "You look like you made a night of it," said the cook. "I reckon I did," replied Johnny, yawning; "I didn't get much sleep." "Did Wolf make any remarks about shootin'?" "When?" "Last night." "Didn't you see him start for home?" "Thought mebby he come back to play." "He didn't come back to play," replied Johnny. "I'm goin' for a ride an' see if I can wake up," he said, and he did.