human
He said it was nearly seventy miles to Long Bill Kearney's ferry crossing and only three ranches between, said Endicott as the horses laboured out of a deep coulee,
gpt
Dem all right. Dat Tex, she got de gun, she shoot de jack-rabbit, de leetle owl, mebbe-so de deer--dey ain' gon' hungry w'ile he got de gun.
human
I ain' quite mak' it out. Firs' t'ing dey lan' here Tex, she ain' got on de boots. De 'oman she sleep--mebbe-so w'at you call, knock out. Tex car' her an' lay her on de grass w'ere she leetle bit flat, he paused and pointed to a spot that looked no whit different from any other spot of grass to Endicott's untrained eyes.
gpt
Only wan hoss lan'--dat Powder Face, an' ron lak hell up de coulee. Tex, she gon' up de coulee an' by'm'by he put on de boots an' climb oop on de bench. After w'ile com's a man on a hoss off de bench. He ketch oop Powder Face an' com' down here an' git de 'oman an' ride off--he lif her oop an' tie her on de saddle an' ride off leadin' Powder Face. By'm'by Tex com' long on beeg hoss an' nodder man on leetle hoss. Tex git off an' look roun' an' fin' de 'oman gon'--he joomp on de hoss an ride lak hell after de man an' de 'oman.
human
Did he catch them?
gpt
But, maybe it was Tex who got here first and rode away with her, cried Endicott as they hastened toward the picketed horses.
human
Surely you can't tell from those tracks----
gpt
And this happened yesterday! Oh, Alice! Alice!
human
Dat better you ain' los' de, w'at you call, de guts. Mebbe-so you 'oman all right. We fin' um safe on som' ranch house.
gpt
De leetle hoss turn back, he announced,
human
Tex, she gon' on in. He los' de trail, now--he ain' kin pick it oop in here--he ain' Injun. He', w'at you call, goin' it blin'.
gpt
Are you really following a trail?
human
Stick 'em up! The command rang with a metallic hardness in the rock-walled coulee, and Bat's hands flew upward. From the rear Endicott saw that the man who barred the way was squat, bow-legged, and bearded, and that he held a gun in either hand. For one sickening instant he thought of Alice in the power of this man, and reckless of consequences, he forced his horse to the fore.
gpt
Damn you! he cried leaning forward in the saddle,