"
And at daylight they saw the fugitive ride out of the woods at the
back of the house and boldly around to the front of the house,
where he left his horse in the yard and disappeared.
"Now send three men to ketch him if he runs out the back way--
quick!" said the Falin. "Hit'll take 'em twenty minutes to git
thar through the woods. Soon's they git thar, let one of 'em shoot
his pistol off an' that'll be the signal fer us."
The three men started swiftly, but the pistol shot came before
they had gone a hundred yards, for one of the three--a new man and
unaccustomed to the use of fire-arms, stumbled over a root while
he was seeing that his pistol was in order and let it go off
accidentally.
"No time to waste now," the Falin called sharply. "Git on yo'
hosses and git!" Then the rush was made and when they gave up the
chase at noon that day, the sheriff looked Hale squarely in the
eye when Hale sharply asked him a question:
"Why didn't you tell me who that man was?"
"Because I was afeerd you wouldn't go to Devil Judd's atter him. I
know better now," and he shook his head, for he did not
understand.
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