For some miles there were no branches to the road except such as led to houses among the hills a little back from it. So he rode on without drawing rein, until he came to the place where the road forked. Here he found the sheriff and the posse which had set out on foot unable to decide which fork to take and unwilling to divide their forces. "You wait a minute," said Jed, jumping from his horse, and striking a match, he went a little way up one of the forks and examined the road minutely. "They didn't come this way," he announced, at last, and came back and went up the other fork. Here he repeated the same performance, lighting match after match. At last he stood erect with a grunt of satisfaction. "All right," he said. "We're on th' trail." "How do you know we are?" inquired the sheriff, incredulously. "No matter," said Jed. "Take my word fer it. I didn't live on th' plains twenty year fer nothin'. Hello! What's that?" He was listening intently, but for some moments the duller ears of the other members of the posse could catch no sound. Then they heard, far up the road, the clatter of horses' hoofs and the rattle of wheels. The sound came nearer and nearer, and Jed, who was peering through the darkness, suddenly drew his pistol and sprang to the middle of the road. "Halt!" he cried, and the other members of the posse instinctively drew up behind him, their guns ready. They could hear the wagon still lumbering toward them. "Halt, or we fire!" cried Jed, again, but still the wagon came on, and a gray shape appeared in the darkness ahead. Jed raised his pistol; then, with a sharp exclamation, thrust it back into his belt, sprang forward, and seized the approaching horses by the bridle. The posse swarmed about the wagon. The sheriff struck a match, and painted on the wagon's side descried the words: COALVILLE COAL COMPANY "Why," said the sheriff, in bewilderment, "this is th' rig they run away with!" "Precisely," agreed Jed, coolly. "One of you men hold these horses, will you?" The sheriff clambered to the seat and struck another match. "The wagon's empty," he announced. "I thought so," said Jed, mounting beside him. "They took out th' chest an' then turned th' rig loose." "And where are they?" "They're somewhere ahead openin' that box. I'll ride on with my men. You turn th' wagon around an' foller with as many as she'll hold." "All right," agreed the sheriff, and Jed sprang to horse again. "Come on, boys," he called, and set out up the road at a sharp gallop. Mile after mile they covered, but without finding any sign of the fugitives. At last, Jed dismounted and again examined the road. "We've passed 'em," he announced. "They didn't git this far. We've got 'em now, sure." The east was just showing a tinge of gray, as they turned to retrace their steps. Jed stopped every now and then to scrutinize the road. At the end of a mile, they met the sheriff and his party in the wagon. "See anything of 'em?" he asked.