They disappeared
as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up. Our cook,
too, left with him that evil night."
"Your cook?" It was the second comment Bucky had ventured, and it
came incisively. "What manner of man was he?"
"A huge, lumbering braggart. I could never understand why Dave
took the man with him."
"If he did."
"But I tell you he did. They disappeared the same night, and the
trail showed they went the same road. We followed them for about
an hour next day, but a heavy rain came up and blotted out the
tracks."
"What was the cook's name?"
"Jeff Anderson."
"Have you a picture of him, or one of your friend?"
"Back at the ranch I had pictures of Dave, but I burned them
after he left. Yes, I reckon we have one of Anderson, standing in
front of the chuck wagon."
"Send it to me, please."
"All right."
The ranger asked a few questions that made clearer the situation
on the day of the kidnapping, and some more concerning Anderson,
then fell again into the role of a listener while Mackenzie
concluded his story.
"All these years I have kept my eyes open, confident that at last
I would discover something that would help me to discover the
whereabouts of my child, or, at least, give me a chance to punish
the scoundrel who betrayed my confidence.
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