He was always back at Bronco Bill’s within ten minutes from the time he started. At length he went in and stayed there. Patsy went across and looked in long enough to see that Snell had found an old book somewhere, and was reading it in the barroom. It was almost noon when the man Snell had been expecting came. The detective knew it before Snell did. Watching from his window, he saw a man come rapidly up from the direction of the railroad. He walked as if he knew where he was going, and he turned in at Bronco Bill’s. It was the stranger who had come so near to murdering Snell a short time before in New York City. “Now we’re getting down to business!” thought Patsy, with great satisfaction. It had been a long wait, and he was a little tired of it. Every day he had sent a telegram to Nick, saying, simply: “No change,” or “Nothing doing.” Meantime, he had received no word from his chief. So he knew that there was nothing for him to do but stay there and watch. Of course, he crossed over to the saloon soon after the stranger went in. He was disguised so that neither knew him, and Bronco Bill did not suspect that the man who asked for a cigar was the one who had done the wonderful shooting the night before. Snell and the stranger were eating dinner at a table in the corner. They did no talking. Patsy returned to his watching place. After dinner, the stranger went away alone. The detective would have liked to follow, but it was his business to spot Snell. So he stayed where he was. Some three hours passed, and then the stranger returned. He went into the saloon, and almost immediately came out again with Snell. They walked away rapidly. Patsy was after them. Thinking that there might be some such excursion as this, the detective had bought a horse. The animal was stabled a few doors from his lodging house, where he could be got quickly, and he was kept saddled all the time. But there was no use for him on this trip. The men walked through the city, and they acted as if they were in a hurry, but they walked, and Patsy thought it better to follow them in the same way. As long as they were in busy streets he had no difficulty in keeping close to them. When they came to a long street, where the houses were scattered, he fell a little further behind. And at last they were in the open country, with no house at all in sight ahead. Then the detective had to be very cautious. He decided to get into a field alongside the road, where he could dodge behind bushes. It was well he took this precaution when he did. He had hardly left the road when both men wheeled about suddenly. They stood for a full minute, looking back toward the city. There could be no doubt that some sudden fear of pursuit had made them turn. Patsy stooped behind a low bush and waited. At last they went on, but Snell turned frequently, and Patsy was kept on the dodge all the time. This continued for two miles or more.