There's a cliff just above the mine from which a man can see the
trail for at least two miles."
"Then won't some one discover us?" asked Bill.
"Not if we hurry. Every man jack of Megget's gang is out on this
raid. All we need to do is to get there first."
"How about that fellow who was with you?" Bill inquired. "Won't he
be on the lookout?"
"Who, Red Ike? Not much. He'll be too anxious to tell Gus about
me. He knows his chief was going to cut across to join Vasquez and
the others, and he'll follow. They'll be so tickled at the thought
you all were lost in the fire they won't hurry much. Still, if
we're going to round them up, we must get there before dark
to-night. There's a spot just before you enter the valley where we
can lie in wait and get them all."
"No, that won't do," declared Mr. Wilder. "I want to capture them
without resorting to firearms, if possible. While, of course, if
it should be necessary, I would sanction shooting, I much prefer to
take the men prisoners and turn them over to the sheriff and the
law."
At first Lawrence could scarcely believe his ears. His creed had
been force, supported by quick use of weapons, not law, and it
seemed incredible to him that a man who had suffered from the raids
of the cattle thieves should not take justice in his own hands when
opportunity presented. But he suddenly realized that he was
dealing with a new kind of man that he had never been brought in
contact with, an honorable man, and his admiration for the owner of
the Half-Moon increased a hundredfold.
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