"Holy smoke!" exploded Yuma, "Can't yuh see the spot the poor girl's in? Or maybe yuh don't savvy. She's got four cousins, an' not one of 'em has the guts tuh protect her. Every skunk in the Basin would like to make a play fer Miss Penny, an' it ain't nothin' exceptin' Bryant Cavendish that keeps 'em from it. Yuh figger Bryant's the leader, don't yuh? Wal, maybe so he is. But I'd a damn sight sooner he kept on orderin' them crooks around in cattle-stealin' an' sellin' than tuh see him jailed an' Penelope left without him." "I was told that the leader was a man called 'Yuma.'" "I heard that. I heard what you told the redskin." "Gimlet mentioned the same name just before he died." "But that's a blasted--" Yuma broke off, leaving his speech suspended. "We'll push ahead now," the Lone Ranger said. When they were on their way again, the masked man noticed that his prisoner was deep in thought. There were furrows across his forehead; his eyes were half-shut in heavy concentration. "You haven't told me who you are yet," the Lone Ranger said finally. "Tain't none of yer business," was the reply. Yuma went on as if simply voicing the thoughts that had been broken by the speech. "Don't make sense at all," he muttered. "Bryant wouldn't let Penny git hurt." The volume of his speech increased a bit. "Dammit all tuh hell an' gone, I never seen a man like you. I bet by gosh, yuh _would_ drill Bryant if yuh thought he bossed the murderin' o' them Rangers." "Don't you think that would be justified?" "Yuh wouldn't jest take him tuh the law. You'd deal with him personal, eh?" "That would all depend. Unless I could find witnesses it would be pretty hard to prove a case against him. I understand that he fired at this fellow called Yuma." The clump of horses' hoofs was the only sound for several moments. The Lone Ranger saw the stream of water shimmering in silver light ahead. Just beyond, he knew, was the cave. "Suppose," muttered Yuma, "Bryant wasn't the leader of the pack?" "Who else could be? Certainly Cavendish wouldn't let those outsiders run his ranch for him, and I don't think any of the nephews could pull such thick wool over his eyes." "Jest suppose that what Lonergan told yuh was the truth." "What was that?" "That Yuma was the boss an' that he had a hold on Bryant an' Bryant had tuh do what he wanted? Suppose that was the case, what'd you do?" "Naturally, I'd hunt for Yuma." "Bryant went tuh town. Now he couldn't have got back in time tuh have killed old Gimlet, then rid away up that mountain trail yuh mentioned, an' drilled Rangoon like yer Injun pardner told of. Now could he?" "If he went to Red Oak, he couldn't have been there and back in time, but we don't know that he did go to Red Oak." "But this gent called Yuma--didn't Miss Penny tell yuh he was still around after Bryant left?" "Yes." "So ain't it logical tuh think he might o' kilt Gimlet, jest like Gimlet said, then rid up the mountain, an' killed Rangoon?"