McNamara appeared among them, fierce and commanding, seeming to
grasp the situation intuitively, without explanation from her.

"Come on, men. We'll run 'em down. Get out the horses. Quick!"

He was mounted even as he spoke, and others joined him. Then
turning, he waved his long arm up the valley towards the
mountains. "Divide into squads of five and cover the hills! Run
down to Discovery, one of you, and telephone to town for Voorhees
and a posse."

As they made ready to ride away, the girl cried:

"Stop! Not that way. They went DOWN the gulch--three negroes."

She pointed out of the valley, towards the dim glow on the
southern horizon, and the cavalcade rode away into the gloom.




CHAPTER X

THE WIT OF AN ADVENTURESS


Up creek the three negroes fled, past other camps, to where the
stream branched. Here they took to the right and urged their
horses along a forsaken trail to the head-waters of the little
tributary and over the low saddle. They had endeavored to reach