"What do you want to do?" asked Mr. Cullen.
"I don't wish to arrest you gentlemen unless you force me to," I
said, "for I don't see that it will do any good. But I want you
to return to camp with us."
They assented to that, and, single file, we rode back. When there
I told each that he must be searched, to which they submitted at
once. After that we went through their baggage. I wasn't going to
have the sheriff or cowboys tumbling over Miss Cullen's clothes,
so I looked over her bag myself. The prettiness and daintiness of
the various contents were a revelation to me, and I tried to put
them back as neatly as I had found them, but I didn't know much
about the articles, and it was a terrible job trying to fold up
some of the things. Why, there was a big pink affair, lined with
silk, with bits of ribbon and lace all over it, which nearly
drove me out of my head, for I would have defied mortal man to
pack it so that it shouldn't muss. I had a funny little feeling
of tenderness for everything, which made fussing over it all a
pleasure, even while I felt all the time that I was doing a sneak
act and had really no right to touch her belongings. I didn't
find anything incriminating, and the posse reported the same
result with the other baggage. If the letters were still in
existence, they were either concealed somewhere or were in the
possession of the party in the Cañon. Telling the sheriff to keep
those in the camp under absolute surveillance, I took a single
man, and saddling a couple of mules, started down the trail.
We found Frederic and "Captain" Hance just dismounting at the
Rock Cabin, and I told the former he was in custody for the
present, and asked him where Miss Cullen and Lord Ralles were. He
told me they were just behind; but I wasn't going to take any
risks, and, ordering the deputy to look after Cullen, I went on
down the trail. I couldn't resist calling back,--
"How's your respiration, Mr. Cullen?"
He laughed, and called, "Digitalis put me on my feet like a
flash."
"He's got the most brains of any man in this party," I remarked
to myself.
The trail at this point is very winding, so that one can rarely
see fifty feet in advance, and sometimes not ten. Owing to this,
the first thing I knew I plumped round a curve on to a mule,
which was patiently standing there. Just back of him was another,
on which sat Miss Cullen, and standing close beside her was Lord
Ralles. One of his hands held the mule's bridle; the other held
Madge's arm, and he was saying, "You owe it to me, and I will
have one. Or if--"
I swore to myself, and coughed aloud, which made Miss Cullen
look up. The moment she saw me she cried, "Mr. Gordon! How
delightful!" even while she grew as red as she had been pale the
moment before. Lord Ralles grew red too, but in a different way.
"Have you caught the robbers?" cried Miss Cullen.
"I'm afraid I have," I answered.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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