Among these boulders Morse found the party he had just left. The officer was still trying to persuade Jessie McRae to attempt escape. She refused, stubbornly. "There are three of us here. Onistah is a good shot. So am I. For that matter, if anybody is going to escape, it had better be you," she said. "Too late now," Morse said. "See, they've found the camp-fire." Nine or ten riders had come out of the darkness and were approaching the camping-ground. West was in the lead. Morse recognized Barney and Brad Stearns. Two of the others were half-breeds, one an Indian trailer of the Piegan tribe. "He must 'a' heard us comin' and pulled out," Barney said. "Then he's back in the red rocks," boomed West triumphantly. "Soon find out." Brad Stearns turned the head of his horse toward the rocks and shouted. "Hello, Tom! You there?" No answer came from the rocks. "Don't prove a thing," West broke out impatiently. "This fellow's got Tom buffaloed. Didn't he make him smash the barrels? Didn't he take away his six-gun from him and bring him along like he hadn't any mind of his own? Tom's yellow. Got a streak a foot wide." "Nothin' of the kind," denied Stearns, indignation in his voice. "I done brought up that boy by hand--learned him all he knows about ridin' and ropin'. He'll do to take along." "Hmp! He always fooled you, Brad. Different here. I'm aimin' to give him the wallopin' of his life when I meet up with him. And that'll be soon, if he's up there in the rocks. I'm goin' a-shootin'." Bully West drew his revolver and rode forward. The constable had disposed of his forces so that behind the cover of the sandstone boulders they commanded the approach. He had tried to persuade Jessie that this was not her fight, but a question from her had silenced him. "If that Bully West finds me here, after he's killed you, d' you think I can get him to let me go because it wasn't my fight?" She had asked it with flashing eyes, in which for an instant he had seen the savagery of fear leap out. Beresford was troubled. The girl was right enough. If West went the length of murder, he would be an outlaw. Sleeping Dawn would not be safe with him after she had ridden out to warn his enemy that he was coming. The fellow was a primeval brute. His reputation had run over the whole border country of Rupert's Land. Now he appealed to Morse. "If they get me, will you try to save Miss McRae? This fellow West is a devil, I hear." The officer caught a gleam of hot red eyes. "I'll 'tend to that. We'll mix first, him 'n' me. Question now is, do I get a gun?" "What for?" "Didn't you hear him make his brags about what he was gonna do to me? If there's shootin' I'm in on it, ain't I?" "No. You're a prisoner. I can't arm you unless your life is in danger."