human
Now, sonny, he said.
gpt
Tell us about it. How'd this happen an' where? An' when, if you can place that?
human
Just a second,
gpt
Whisky got me going, he said.
human
I'd have given a whole lot for that flask two or three hours ago, Dad.
gpt
Never mind the whisky, where did you leave Molly?
human
I don't know just where. I wasn't noticing just which way we rode. She did the leading. I don't know how I ever got back.
gpt
Didn't she tell you where you were makin' fo'?
human
She didn't name it. It was a little lake in some cañon where Molly said there used to be beavers.
gpt
Beaver Dam Cañon, said Sandy exultantly.
human
You left here 'bout seven. How fast did you trail?
gpt
We walked the horses most of the time. It was all up-hill. And I looked at my watch a little before it happened. It was a quarter of eleven. Molly said we'd be there by noon.
human
Where were you then? What kind of a place? Near water?
gpt
We'd just crossed a stream.
human
Willer Crick, runs out of Beaver Dam Lake. You c'udn't foller that up, 'count of the falls. Now, jest what happened?
gpt
We saw some men ahead of us. Molly wondered who they could be. Then they disappeared. We were riding in a pass and two of them showed again, coming out of the trees ahead of us. One of them, on a big black horse, held up his hand.
human
Jim Plimsoll!
gpt
Yes. Molly recognized him and she spoke to him to get out of the trail. It was brush and cactus either side of us and we'd have had to crowd in. Grit was trailing us. Plimsoll wouldn't move. I heard more horses back of us and I turned to look. Two more men were coming up behind. They had rifles. So did the man with Plimsoll. He had a pistol under his vest. We couldn't go back very well and I could see from the way Plimsoll grinned that he was going to be nasty. Molly spurred Blaze on and cut at Plimsoll with her quirt. He grabbed her hand with his left. Grit sprang up at him and he got out his gun from the shoulder sling and shot him.
human
Shot the dawg? Hit him?
gpt
Yes, in the leg. He fired at him again, but Grit got into the brush.
human
Jest what were you doin' all the time?